Creatures from the Ocean (Sciles)

42: Poor, Unfortunate Souls

After the couple of hours, I slow to a stop and look up to try and see the sky. However, I can't see anything above the surface as I am way too far down and it is too dark. However, I assume that it must be night, so I swim into a little cave and try to settle down for the night. It's dark and gloomy in here, despite the fact a merperson's eyes can see in water that is pitch black. I shiver. I guess I must be getting closer, if I'm getting these eerie feelings. I lie back on a rock, resting my hands beneath my head. I stare up at the cave's ceiling. I flick my tail every now and again, feeling restless. However, I know I need the sleep. I need to make this journey as fast as possible, but I don't know how long it'll take me to get there. Hopefully it'll take me only a couple of days at the most. By then, Scott's time will be running out. I close my eyes and try to sleep. I am kept awake by thoughts of Scott, especially the horrific images of him having that seizure. It was one of the most terrifying things I have seen in my life. My eyes open quickly, not wanting to visualize the seizure anymore. "He's going to be alright, Stiles. He has to be." I mumble to myself, gently closing my eyes again. As I try to go to sleep, I wish to myself how badly I want Scott to be here with me, to be here by my side throughout this dangerous journey. A small voice inside of me says that he is here, he is in my heart. I take comfort in that voice and slowly fall asleep for the first time in years underwater.

I wake up the next day, feeling refreshed. I stretch my arms as I sit up. I also stretch my tail, preparing for a long journey ahead. I suddenly realize that I have no way of getting food. Whoops. I guess if I see any seaweed on the way, I'll eat that. I flick my tail and swim out of the cave, leaving a trail of bubbles in my wake. I take in the quietness of being underwater and away from any cities and appreciate it. I feel so calm and at peace. It almost makes me forget what I'm really doing here. Almost. I keep swimming south-east, as Deaton directed me to do. I continue to swim for hours, not giving up. Whenever the ocean floor dips down, I follow it. I know I have to go deeper. Within another half an hour, I come across a forest of seaweed. My stomach growls in hunger. I smile in delight. It has been a long time since I have had raw seaweed like this, but I know I can handle it. I grab a whole bunch of it and pull it out of the sand. I start to stuff some of it into my mouth. I sigh as I begin to eat, my hunger fading away. I don't mind the taste of seaweed, actually. In a way, it tastes a lot like lettuce, just a little bit more salty. After a few minutes of hurried eating, I continue on my long journey. As I swim further and deeper down, I notice it gets slightly darker and colder again. I shiver slightly, but not from the cold. I have an increasing fear that is building up inside of me. All of my instincts scream for me to turn around and swim away as fast as I can, but I don't. I can't. I need to save Scott. I take a deep breath and carry on. After another half an hour of swimming, I finally see something unusual. With my curiosity consuming me, I swim towards the dull purple glow. Even though it was a dim light, it still stood out from the dark, black waters.

As I get closer, I become more cautious and slow down. My heart rate starts speeding up. I shouldn't be here. I look at the cave that is now looming ahead of me. The purple glow is coming from inside. I swear I can hear screaming, but it is so quiet that it can be passed off as underwater bugs or something. Well, I hope it is the latter anyway. Despite everything telling me I should go back, I can't help but swim into the entrance of the cave. I probably have to go this way anyway. If I went around, it'll take longer or I might not even get to where I want to go at all. As I swim through the entrance, I look down. There is a lot of creepy looking plants. They move on their own free will, not with the ocean currents. I also have never seen plants like this before. I take a deep breath and keep swimming. Suddenly, something grabs my arm. I yelp and turn around. To my horror, I see that one of the plants have latched - no, bitten onto my wrist, pulling me back. I also notice that it has a small, but still noticeable face. A freaking face with eyes and a mouth! As I start freaking out, more and more of the 'plants' start grabbing onto me. As they start pulling me down to them, I start swimming upwards. The noise that sounds like screaming gets louder. With one final yelp, I manage to pull myself free. I flip my tail rapidly, getting away from the plant creatures as fast as I can. "Come in, my child. Don't worry, my garden is harmless." I hear a woman tell me. I look down at the plants one last time. I take a deep breath and swim forwards and past the bed of the creepy plant creatures. I enter the main part of the cave cautiously. I look at my surroundings. The purple glow I saw before seems to just hang in the water, which is quite eerie. I then take a look at the shelves, which are full of bottles containing potions or weird ingredients. I then turn to the woman sitting on a rock, smiling at me. Immediately, I can see that she is a sea witch, her tentacles swirling through the water. I gulp nervously. "Why, your highness! What a pleasant surprise!" The sea witch floats upwards and curtsies before me. I float in front of her, feeling awkward. "Uh, how do you know me?" I ask in confusion.