Beneath The Waves (bxb)

12. He Sings Of Death

"Jayson!"

I knew he couldn't hear me over the roaring waves, but I couldn't help but scream as he was forced backward off of the dock and into the churning ocean. My heart was beating out of my chest when I watched him disappear beneath the surface. Normally he was a decent swimmer, but after an accident in high school playing football, he began to have problems with his leg. There was no way he would be able to fight the current. My gaze darted up toward the dock, meeting Callem's and the other mer's, then back to the water.

Well, if I die, at least it will be in the ocean that I love.

That thought made jumping off the worn wooden post and diving into the dark water a little easier. That's also when I realized that I couldn't see anything beneath the waves, even when I opened my eyes in the burning saltwater.

Darn it!

The current took hold of my body immediately, trying to drag me farther out. Instead of fighting it, I let it pull me for a minute before heading parallel to the shoreline. It took a lot of effort, but I managed to break free of the current and keep my head just barely above water. I chanced a look around then, noticing that I was a good ways from the dock, but when a blond head broke the surface a few yards away, I immediately zeroed in on it.

"Jay!"

He thankfully heard me and turned, a cocky smirk on his exhausted face. I could tell he was having trouble with his leg so I quickly swam over, ducking under the swelling waves a few times to keep from wasting energy riding atop them. When I came up a third time, we were right next to each other, panting heavily but thankfully still alive. The dock was pretty far away but possibly doable if we were careful and didn't try to race for it. But was going there a good idea with that aggressive Mer waiting for us?

"I-It's his brother," Jay panted, making me almost swallow a huge mouthful of water in sheer surprise.

"What?"

"T-Talk... later."

Oh, right. About to drown.

"Grab on."

He stared at me in disbelief, though I was pretty sure the unbelievable items were standing over on the dock right then.

"Just hold on, dammit! I know you can't swim back."

"Neither can you with me holding onto you."

"Too bad."

He looked like he was going to argue, but I shot him a death glare over my shoulder and he quickly grabbed onto my belt loops.

"Take a breath, going under."

After counting to three, I did just that and dove, pacing myself as best I could against the current. Every time I thought I was getting closer and surfaced to check and get a breath, we didn't seem to have moved more than a few feet, and I was seriously losing energy.

"Park, y-you're getting too tired."

Let's all state the obvious.

"I'm letting go."

My head snapped to the side, though I couldn't completely see him since he was floating right behind me.

"No, you aren't."

I began swimming again but immediately realized I felt much less of a pull from the water.

"Jay?"

Spinning in place, I noticed him drifting farther out with a cocky smile on his face.

"Jay! Come back."