Marvel-ous Ninjutsu

00103. Morlock Catacombs

Today could be considered a good day for . was in a good mood today. It was rare, but on those days he could roam around and look for extra food. Most days he didn’t eat much, but then again no one did in the .

Normally he needed to stay close to Annalee so she didn’t make other people sad. But on her good days like today, he was able to roam around. Only he had to be safe and stay covered up, since people found Leech to be repulsive. He was beaten up a few times by some of the more nefarious people in the catacombs. Since then he’s stayed on the outskirts and outer tunnels, since he didn’t like to be hurt.

During Leech’s hunting today, he was able to kill a couple of large rats in one of the outer tunnels. It was rare for Leech to catch so much food and he was sure to eat well today and have left over food for tomorrow.

As he made his way back to his home, he looked out over the Morlock Catacombs. It was a massive place, where large tunnels converged together. The main area was over six hundred feet in length and about four hundred feet wide. Running down the middle of the place were large supporting pillars that connected to the curved roof resting over a hundred feet above.

Light in the place was sporadic at best, some from battery powered lights, others from cooking fires. But from the upper tunnel Leech was in, the city below looked like a clear night sky dotted with stars. Leech admired the view for a few moments before he moved down the ladder into the Catacombs. At the bottom he moved to the left hugging the wall as he moved to his home. He was forced to live on the outskirts, partly from his looks, but mostly because Annalee lived there.

It took about ten minutes but Leech made it back to his home without incident. His home was made from some scrap wood, pallets and metal. Inside of it were some worn out blankets, some extra clothes and his prized possession. A partly ruined picture book. The book showed different places around the world, all of them outside and in the sun. It had been years since he was last topside and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

People up there treated him worse than the mean people in the middle of the catacombs. He didn’t like being hit or yelled at, so he decided staying down here in the dark was for the best. Even though he really wanted to see the sun again, he missed the warmth it gave him. The warmth from a cooking fire just wasn't the same.

As Leech moved past his home and Annalee’s home next door, he came to the small barrel they used as their fire pit. He looked inside, to luckily find there were some red coals still smoldering inside it.

He quickly collected some trash paper and a piece of broken wood which he tossed inside the barrel. It only took a few minutes for the fire to reignite and slowly catch the broken log on fire. Once the fire was going Leech removed his hunting prizes from his sack.

They were already skinned and gutted. Something he learned from watching Annalee. He attached his prizes to his cooking stick and placed them over the fire. As they started to cook, he took his sack to the small steam of water that ran past his house. 

He used the stream and cleaned the blood from the sack, then let it hang dry next to the fire pit. There was a small clothes line he hung there to help his clothes dry faster after he washed them.

After about ten minutes Leech pulled his food from the fire and let it cool down a little. But his mouth watered for a bite of the delicious food, so he quickly brought the still steaming food near his mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate fresh food like this. Weeks maybe?

As he took his first big bite someone said, “That’s disgusting.”

Leech couldn’t help himself as he dropped his food and curled up into a ball on reflex. If someone came out here besides Annalee, it was only for one reason. To use Leech as a punching bag.

It didn’t happen often, but it was enough to make Leech afraid of other people besides Annalee. People on the outskirts were the rejects of the rejects, so people tended to pick on them. Leech didn't understand why, he never did anything to them. Leech was just Leech after all.

After about a minute of not being kicked or hit Leech slowly opened his pure white eyes as he looked up. In the dim light he could see a black haired man standing a few feet away from him with a smile on his face.

Leech almost flinched from the man’s steady gaze, people never looked at him like that and it was kinda scary. Most people looked at him once and would look repulsed. Then they would turn away or tell Leech to look away from them. But most of the time they’d just tell him to go away.

The man glanced down next to Leech and said, “Sorry about your dinner, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Leech took a moment to glance where the man did and saw his cooking stick with his rats laying on the ground. Leech wanted to reach for it but his instincts told him it was a trap. This person was playing with him, no one was nice to Leech. Not even Annalee was nice to Leech.

The man slowly raised both his arms up as he said, “I really didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought eating rats was gross is all. If you want I can get you something better than rats to eat. Would you like that?”

Leech’s instincts were screaming at him to curl up tight and prepare to be hit. But the man’s smile was so genuine that he just stared back at the man. The man slowly lowered his hands but kept his smile as he waited for Leech to move. Leech for his part was frozen in fear and shock and couldn’t move.

After almost five minutes Leech finally asked, “Leech no hit?”

“No, I will not hit you. Is that your name? Leech?”

Leech nodded the tiniest bit in response. Before he slowly reached for his cooking stick as he watched the man. He didn’t get up and stayed curled up on the ground with only a single arm outstretched for the stick.

Once he had it in his hand, he quickly pulled the stick next to him and never broke eyesight with the man once. And the man watched Leech in return, the soft smile never left his face.

The man pointed at himself as he said, “I’m Ezekiel.”

After another minute or so of looking at each other Ezekiel finally said, “If you don’t mind I am gonna sit down on the ground. Is that okay with you?”

Leech nodded a little again, but never took his eyes off Ezekiel. Ezekiel slowly sat on the ground a few feet away from Leech and waited. It took another few minutes before Leech finally relaxed and slowly sat up.

Ezekiel’s smile was a little more warm as he asked, “So Leech, would you like me to get you some better food?”

Leech shook his head, people didn’t do nice things for him and he wouldn’t fall for it. Plus fresh rat was one of the best foods you could catch down here. How could Ezekiel give him something better than that?

After a few more awkward minutes of silence Ezekiel said, "If it's okay with you, I am going to eat something. Is that okay Leech?"

Leech nodded his head as he wondered why Ezekiel was even asking. No one cared what Leech thought normally. Most people didn't talk to him in the first place. This Ezekiel person was weird, maybe they were crazy like Annalee.

After a few moments Ezekiel raised one hand slowly in the air and made a circle in the air a few times. After a moment a golden portal appeared in the air and bright light lit up the whole area. It was so bright Leech was forced to close his eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen anything brighter than his cooking fire.

But Leech wasn't the only person who saw the light. The whole area saw it as Leech's little area lit up like a new sun in the darkness of the underground. Within moments it winked out of existence just as fast as it appeared. But that didn’t stop a lot of people from being curious and wondering what just happened. Some of the people in the middle of the city even started moving towards where the light came from to investigate.

It took a few moments for Leech's eyes to readjust. When they did, he found a pile of thin boxes between him and Ezekiel. The top one was open and Ezekiel was pulling something out of it to eat. Leech wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was some kind of surface food.

After Ezekiel chewed the first bite of his food he said, "You can have some if you like."

Leech wasn't stupid, this was a trick. Leech shook his head and cautiously took a quick bite from his dinner instead. They stayed like that for about a minute, both of them eating their own food. 

The silence was broken by Annalee as she opened the door of her shack. The rusted hinges creaked loudly as it fully opened and Annalee looked outside.

She was a short woman with a wrinkled face, with large glasses resting on her plump nose. Her curly black and gray hair was cut short. While also streaked with white hair showing her advanced age. She was hunched over and as she stepped forward out of her house. She used a cane in her left hand to help her walk.

She slowly moved towards Leech and Ezekiel who stopped eating to regard the woman. Leech slightly in fear and Ezekiel in curiosity.

The woman frowned, her wrinkled face contorted as she looked at Leech. She let out a snort of disgust before she said, "What have I told you about keeping your ugly face hidden? What if my lovely grandchild has nightmares because of how you look?"

She waved her right hand in a shooing motion as she said, "Go away you little monster."

As Leech started to move Ezekiel said, "Leech doesn't have to leave. He's a friend."

Leech froze as Annalee glanced at Ezekiel, her eyes wild as she said, "You don't have to be nice to this monster. But then again you've always been a sweet boy. Haven't you, Timmy."

"Yes, grandma." Ezekiel said.

Annalee smiled as she looked down at the stack of pizza boxes and said, "Timmy, you're such a good boy. You brought your grandma pizza."

Annalee reached down and pinched Ezekiel's cheek then picked up one of the pizza boxes. She smiled at Ezekiel as she said, "You should come visit grandma more often sweetheart."

"I will, promise."Ezekiel said.

"Good. I'll leave you with your monster friend honey."

As she walked back into her home with her pizza, Leech stared open mouthed at Ezekiel. Ezekiel glanced at Leech as he asked, "What? Is there something on my face?"

After a few moments Leech asked, "Friend? Leech friend?"

Ezekiel nodded his warm smile still in place as he said, "Of course you're my friend." 

Leech blinked in confusion, his head tilted to the side as he asked, "Why?

"Why not?" Ezekiel asked.

"Because he's an ugly little monster, that's why." A loud voice said from behind Ezekiel and Leech.

Leech collapsed into a ball as Ezekiel glanced over his shoulder at the new people who arrived. Then he glanced over to leech who was shaking on the ground.

Ezekiel turned to glare up at the person who talked and said, "You need to apologize to Leech."

The man laughed as he said, "I'll never apologize to that little monster and you can't make me."

Ezekiel smirked as he asked, "Oh, I’m sure I can make you. But it would be best to do it yourself. That way no one gets hurt."