STRAWBERRY DAZE. teratophilia oneshots.

04. SEA SAVIOR

The two of you rushed over to the shoreline, spotting the two men already waiting on the white jet skis. You with-took a breath, moving over towards the vehicle and slowly climbing on with the help of your date. Your arms locked around his waist once you got comfortable, glancing at your friend doing the same. "Where's our life jackets?"

"It's fine! We're not going far anyway, right!?"

You gave an unsure look, one that was ignored by the others. Your date revved up the ski before taking off, your friend and her date following close behind. As the vehicle rode out upon the beautiful blue water you had to admit, this wasn't so bad. The salty smell of the ocean and the sound of its waves calmed you, nerves melting away.

Your date was quite attentive, pointing out people surfing and leaves that looked like creatures swaying in the water. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

"This is actually fun.. Right Min—" You glanced back to speak to your friend, eyes wide as you quickly noticed how far away you were from the shore. You bit your lip, turning back to face the front. "Hey, I thought we weren't going to go far."

Your date shrugged, "It's no big deal, come on—"

"No. I want to go back." You softly demanded, feeling your fear rise upon peering out at the large and open sea. The man sucked his teeth a bit, allowing the ski to stall as he glanced back at you.

"Relax, you're being a buzzkill."

You shook your head, "I said I want to go back, let's g—"

"Uh! Can't hear you!" He grinned, turning the jet ski back on and taking off far too fast. You shouted in both surprise and fear, clinging to the man as you begged for him to stop. He ignored your pleads, or maybe he heard them, given he just went faster.

With your heart pounding against your chest, you sobbed softly in fear, watching in horror as a large wave hit you both— causing him to lose control. The vehicle flipped over, the pair of you quickly falling into the ocean.

You kicked as hard as you could, thrashing about as you screeched. Given your panic, you began to sink into the deep water. Soon enough the water submerged you completely, eyes attempting to remain open. Water clogged your nostrils and throat, a burning sensation developing in your chest as you desperately clawed, attempting to reach the slowly dimming surface.

Slowly, your eyelids grew heavy darkness taking over you.

. . .

You felt.. cold. Extremely cold. Your body shivering and curling in on its self to attempt to gain warmth. That was until, something slid across your arm— causing your eyes to fly open in response. You quickly slid up to a sitting position, eyes dancing around the area as you coughed heavily.

You pressed your hands against the ground underneath you, wheezing softly as you attempted to calm down. Moments passed before your racing heart relaxed, lifting your head slowly as you glanced around, wiping your mouth.

"A cave?" You questioned to yourself, slowly coming to your feet to fully take in your surroundings. The cave was spacious, bumpy stone walls with water dripping from peaks into the large pool below. The light was.. enough. Not completely bright but not dark either. And surprisingly, the ground underneath your feet was smooth. Running your fingers through your wet braids, you attempting to ring the water out of it. "How'd I get here?" You wondered outloud, searching for some type of opening. There was none.

"And how do I leave?.." You grumbled, eyes widening as the ground shook under you. A huff escaped as you fell right back onto your behind, watching in horror as something.. huge— emerged from the water. You bit the inside of your cheek, quickly scooting away from the water as the thing surfaced.