Death of a Nightingale

CHAPTER 36: DIVE - NESS

The cage is quiet. It's the name that employees and friends use for the pump room in the back of the largest tank. Thousands of water filters crowd this space with little chain-linked fenced areas separating a few of the bigger ones, hence the lovely nickname: cage. The noises are deafening. The generators are only adding to it. I wonder just how long it will take the police and the fire marshals to get here tonight? I know the moment the power grid goes off-line they're called automatically. They should be well on their way. But they might be too late for Luke and me.

We turn a corner and I halt, leaning Luke against the big step-ladder on the back of the whale shark tank. This area is off limits to the public and most employees as well. But Luke took me here when we first started dating. We made out secretly between the pumps many times. No one could hear us giggle and whisper sweet nothings into each other's ears. The thought makes me smile a bit. Luke looks exhausted and scared. He rests his injured leg against one of the big pumps and shakes his hand out. I just now get a good look at it. It's bruised from breaking the fire extinguisher free. One knuckle has a few speckles of dried blood on it. I brush over it, but he pulls away. I understand. I broke his heart just minutes ago. It seems like years have passed since.

"What is this thing?" His voice is calm but serious. His science voice, I realize. He doesn't want to talk to me, but he has to. I swallow hard and make myself look him in the eyes.

"You're not going to believe me if I tell you." My voice is equally steady as I ignore all the possible emotions bubbling up below.

A loud clink breaks my focus. It's coming from behind. We're not far ahead. We can't shake this creature. I lift Luke's arm back up without any protest and we hobble to the next pump. I can hear the water ebb and flow. The whale shark tank is the biggest in the world. Like a decent-sized lake, just glass on many sides so viewers can have a first-row seat to the secret lives of our fish friends.

"This thing that's following us is something you really wished Socrates had been. Just a lot less sparkly." I tell him as I'm desperately searching for a way out for us. I feel his eyes on me but I don't dare to look. The pumps surround us, giving us decent cover, just when a hand shoots out from the darkness and clasps around his throat from behind and squeezes hard. I scream jumping to pry the long, immortal fingers off Luke's neck.

Luke chokes and wrenches desperately at the strong arm holding him.

I lock eyes with the strange, dark figure, silver eyes seemingly studying all of my human weaknesses. Luckily, I know the cage pretty well and know what happens when I press the pressure release valve to my right. It takes considerable strength and I have to take my focus off Luke for a moment, but the lever gives and moves inwards. Hot steam releases with a satisfying hiss into the dark figure's face. A SCREECH that makes my ears ring erupts from the creature but he lets go of Luke. I catch him as he staggers forward and we fumble into a sprint. We both look back and watch as the steam subsides. The immortal's face heals and turns an ashen shade of porcelain. He lowers his gaze, sniffs, and stalks after his prey; us. Luke gulps hard and looks down at me. Disbelief, wonder, I don't know for sure.

I point with my chin. Up is our only choice. The ladder is wet and slippery and Luke's leg isn't looking great, but we're out of options. If we want to get away from this monster behind us, we might have to get wet.

Luke doesn't balk at the idea and starts climbing, pulling himself up mostly with his considerable arm and upper body strength, only putting weight on his healthy leg. The high-pitched whines from the engine are the only sounds I can hear.

We reach the top and Luke grabs the big emergency harpoon, using it as a menacing walking stick. He's quite a sight as a limping, partially blood-covered, and sea-water-soaked man, leaning on a harpoon for pain relief. But I don't have time to comment on it.