Blue

Blood is Thicker

Adam looked back at Blue, and then the surface. Maybe running away was an option? He could disappear among the fish and seaweed, die a coward's death amongst the coral. He sighed. His head broke the surface.

Tiny droplets of sea spray rained down on him. He licked his lips and tasted salty air. It was disgusting, in the way that only that intense salt breeze of the sea could be. He had missed this feeling. The wind skimmed along the waves with lazy fingers, touching his face and playing with his hair. It was fierce after the cool currents of water for so long. It felt like it was slapping him, though he knew it was probably nothing more than a gentle breeze. He moved forward, his body slicing easily through the water. It was amazing how much control he had over the water because of the siren blood running through his veins. The water seemed to move him, to part for him. There was no fight to it. This was not a battle, just a partnership. He stepped easily from the surf and back onto dry land.

The others were sitting solemnly on the sand, shielding their faces from the hot sun. Myles' head was between his knees. Everything seemed bright and harsh. The smell of the open air was overwhelming. He had not had to take such a scented breath in so long. Grass, food, salt, dirt. It was too much. The bunker had smelled like metal and bodies. This was metal and bodies and everything in between. Adam tried to take shallow breaths; the urge to throw up and dislodge all the smells building up into a leaning tower of nausea was strong. It was so hot on land. So hot and bright. How had he lived on the surface for so long when it was like this? He didn't understand.

Curtis tapped his shoulder, 'Imagine if we could hear everything too. Imagine how awful it would be to have to have it all at once.' Adam nodded. He imagined that it was pretty quiet in the water. He didn't know. The bunker had been quiet, except for the metallic creaking, the water dripping, the sword fighting, the voices. To have to listen to the people and the cars, all the different kinds of wildlife, the waves and wind, that would have been immensely overwhelming for them right now. Adam stuck his head between his knees too, using his arms to block out the sun, trying to adjust to the temperature and the feeling of being outside.

When he finally felt less nauseous-he felt like it took forever-he lifted his head cautiously. His beach looked the same as he had left it. The waves suplexing the shore, the crystal yellow sand spilled across the ground in haphazard piles. He intimately recognized the scruffy plant life scattered along the edge of the dunes and the tall fence. Each weathered wooden rung was so beautiful, even down to the thick wire looping them together, a delicate oil painting that had been pulled directly from his heart. There was a strange sensation behind his eyes. He reached down and pulled a handful of hot sand from the ground, rubbing it between his fingers like a handful of yellow diamonds.

He gazed back at the waves. He could see Blue's head poking out of the water distantly, her crowd of sirens gathered behind her. Was she saying something? He took a dizzy step forward, his legs finding it more difficult to carry him across the land than he was expecting. She was staring at him, waiting. Her hand lifted up, her finger pointing beyond him, beyond the beach. 'Go,' he thought she was saying. She was pointing towards his home.

He didn't need to be told twice. He turned, taking off down the beach, feeling his legs burn and wobble. He could close his eyes and still know where to go, but he took everything in, drinking in the sight. This was his last time here, his final goodbye. This was what he would have to clutch close to himself at night. This was it.

He dashed down the street, his heavy Ensign boots on pavement, hoping and praying that there was little to no blood left on his clothes. He couldn't be stopped. They couldn't recognize him. He was a ghost running in the day, some dead remnant of what used to be Adam Halloran come to life, clinging desperately to this last hoorah. He was being selfish right now, he knew that, but he couldn't help it.