CHAPTER 120: MUTATED SHEEP ON THE BASE

Hades was driven to the paddock where the mutated sheep had been kept, isolated from the rest. He found Soraya Payne, one of the vets waiting for him, biting her nails nervously.

A small crowd of twenty people was peeking at the paddock including soldiers that were pointing weapons at the sheep.

"Mad... they have gone mad these sheep." Soraya said to him in a voice that carried much urgency, stress and anxiety.

Hades just nodded in response and passed through the crowd to get a look at the sheep, not knowing what to expect.

The sheep that used to have white wool once upon a time now had very bright white wool with three gray streaks on each which had a shine to it. The wool was so thick that it seemed like the sheep had not seen a trimmer in two years.

"It was not this much yesterday. The wool is growing at abnormal speeds." Soraya said in wonder.

Hades was still observing the changes in the sheep. Their eyes had grown larger, pupils vertical and slit shaped like those of a cat. Then came the horns, tall and mighty like those of a deer.

"They don’t want to eat grass anymore." Someone said.

In a trembling voice Soraya told Hades, "They will only eat meat. We know this because they attacked a boy that came by to bring dinner for one of the workers. He brought hamburgers. The sheep attacked him, bit him and then ate the beef burgers. They did not touch the buns, just meat and some vegetables."

Hades frowned. "And the boy, in what condition is he?"

Soraya’s voice was still trembling as she replied. "His arm was ripped off and the doctors are already stitching it back on. One of his knees was broken after being stomped on. He has bite marks of course....it was so terrible."

Hades felt so stressed. They had sheep biting people!!! He thought he had locked the danger out and yet it was now inside.

"Why are they so calm now?" He asked.

A vet assistant walked closer to Hades and replied, "That is because we fed them. Once they were satisfied, they didn’t bother anyone and settled in the paddock. I even touched one of them and it let me. In fact, it seemed to like it."

Hades looked at the young man with arched brows. What had possessed him to think that it was a good idea to touch sheep that ate meat and ripped off someone’s arm?

Soraya had more information to share. "Boss, I have been making notes about the other changes that I have noticed in the sheep, especially when it comes to signs of aggression.

If they detect a threat, they stare back without blinking. Kind of like a staring contest.

When they hear loud noises, they go into charging mode. That is why we are keeping the noise level down around here.

They are also exhibiting territorial behaviors and don’t want to associate with the ordinary sheep."

"With the exception of the female sheep in estrus." The vet assistant shared. "We had to move those sheep because we were worried about what would happen."

"What do we do? Should we....." Soraya made the sign for killing by moving her thumb along her neck.

Hades blinked. What was the right decision in this situation? Sunshine had said the meat of mutated animals are useful.

"I....."

"Do not kill, do not kill." A middle-aged man run up to them. He was one of the scientists on the base, Doctor Godwin Bolton. He was pushing seventy and running like that tired him out so much that he almost collapsed when he reached Hades.

It took half a minute for him to calm down enough to be able to talk. "They only acted aggressively because they were starving. If they were just killing blindly, would anyone be standing here?"

Doctor Soraya frowned. Indeed, the sheep had not attacked anyone with the exception of the boy that brought the meat. "You have a point. But what happens when we run out of meat? We are living in a time when we must ration food and now, we must set aside meat for sheep!"

"Look at the wool." Doctor Godwin raised his shaky voice. "Other than wool, maybe there are other benefits to keeping the sheep around."

Hades sighed tiredly. It had been such a tiring day mentally, and he had a headache. He needed to pass by the hospital and check on the condition of the teenage boy. An argument like the one between the two veterinary doctors would last too long.

He looked around at Doctor Godwin and said, "Get a team of soldiers that are responsible for watching the mutated sheep for now. If they don’t cause trouble, we can let them stay and observe them. Winter is coming. If the wool has some use, it will be great."

He turned around and left while Doctor Soraya and Doctor Godwin resumed their argument on the benefits of keeping the sheep around or not.

As Dwayne drove him to the medic bay, he took a pain killer and closed his eyes.

"Are you alright boss?" Owen asked him.

He blinked his eyes open and yawned. "It has been a long day, Owen. It will probably be longer when I get home and find my children sulking because their mother has not returned."

He had sneaked away from the meeting once to check on the boys at lunch time. Castiel had been napping, Earl had been practicing how to sew wounds and as for Ariel, he had been watching the gates through a telescope.

"They have grown really attached to the boss lady very quickly." Owen replied.

He nodded. "Bedtime has become a nightmare for me. Last night, I had to wear Sunshine’s perfume to trick Castiel into sleeping. I almost had to wear a bra and pretend that I have breasts."

Owen and Dwayne laughed.

"You can always put oranges in the bra." Owen suggested.

Even though his head was pounding, Hades still laughed along with Dwayne and Owen. What he did not plan to mention to his friends was that he had slipped a sleeping pill in Castiel’s milk.

It was a strawberry scented sleeping pill he had never seen before, and Sunshine swore that it was safe for use in children.

She had probably foreseen his trouble getting their youngest child to sleep so she left the pills behind for emergency.

The car pulled outside of the medic bay which was already loitering with concerned residents that had heard the news about the mutated goats and the injured boy. Hadrian and Warren Quinn were in the curious crowd.

"Is it true that the goats ate someone?" Hadrian asked Hades while following him through the doors of the medic bay.

"It is sheep not goats and they did not eat him." Hades replied. "Send everyone away Dwayne and tell Lisha to make an announcement asking people to stay away from the sheep." He did not want the sheep to become a tourist attraction.

But his order came late. A bigger crowd than before had gathered outside the livestock section. Some had cameras in their hands. Some had brought burgers!!

One mother had even her daughter colorfully like they had come to a zoo or amusement park. The mutated sheep’s fame was growing every second that passed.