Creatures from the Ocean (Sciles)

43: Finding the Cure

I toss the trident aside, focusing back on the creature. I want to make sure it never comes back. I place a hand on its chest. I watch as layers of ice slowly cover the body. I keep adding layers of ice until the creature looks like he's in a giant ice cube. Then, I swim backwards. The ice cube thing falls to the ocean floor. I throw my hand out towards the cube. After a moment, the ice cube explodes into tiny pieces. I watch as they fall into the sand. I sigh in relief, knowing I'm safe, but then I feel guilty and sad. I didn't want to kill the creature. In fact, I kind of felt sorry for it. I don't exactly know why it wanted to kill me, but I guess it must get very lonely down here. Maybe it just went mad because of the overwhelming loneliness. However, I do know that I didn't kill the creature with a cold heart. It was self defence. I know that. I also know that my friends and family would convince me of the same thing. I sigh before swimming away from the remains of the ice, wanting to get back on track. Thankfully, it doesn't take that long for me to do.

The next leg of the journey isn't so bad. I come across a few sharks, but I manage to get by them easily enough. I'm just surprised that they are this far down from the surface. I would think it's unusual. After a few hours of swimming, I call it a day and go to sleep. Once I wake up again, I continue on my journey, unsure of when I'll be eating next, but I don't care. As I continue downwards, I notice the currents getting increasingly stronger. Even for a merman, it is hard to swim through. My pace slows right down as I try to concentrate on each flick of my tail, propelling me forwards. It takes all of my energy and effort to not to be forced backwards. How can a current be this strong? Merpeople should be able to speed through any water! I guess it must have some sort of magical property or even enchantment that tries to prevent anything from getting through. After another few moments, I stop trying to swim forwards. I gasp for breath and watch sadly as I'm pushed back upwards. I close my eyes, hope fading fast. Out of all the things I could be stopped b, it had to be a stupid underwater current. I take long, deep breaths for a couple of minutes, calming myself down. Without warning, images of Scott lying on the metal bench slowly dying and the blood splattered scene in my living room, showing the struggle of the fight that happened there. The final memory is of Atlantia, merfolk swimming around in a panic, screaming as they are hunted down. I open my eyes quickly, renewed with determination. No. It must not end like this. It can't. I won't let it. I need to save Scott. I need to save my dad, who then can save Atlantia. I take a deep breath and swim harder, fighting against the currents. I feel exhausted and my body hurts, but I don't care. To keep myself motivated, I continue to think about Scott, Ben, Lydia, Malia, Isaac, Liam, Kira, Kara, my dad, Deaton, Crystal, Max, Selena and even Derek. Thankfully, it works. After an hour of struggling against the currents, I finally break free. The end of the ocean current is quite sudden, so I accidentally speed forwards, almost crashing into a rock. Luckily, I manage to stop myself in time. I breathe a sigh of relief. I take a break for a few moments, sitting on the rock.

The water is still surprisingly dark and cold. Despite all of the swimming I just did, I shiver slightly, goosebumps appearing on my arms. I frown. This doesn't normally happen to merpeople. Maybe it means I'm getting close. Suddenly, I hear my stomach grumble. I realize that I haven't eaten in ages, but I don't see any sort of food around. I just need to suck it up. I'll be okay without food for a couple of days. It won't be fun, but I'll survive. If all goes well, I'll be back home soon anyway. When I'm home, I can eat as much as I want to make up for it. As I continue swimming, I glance back behind me. It seems to be getting darker. I gulp nervously. I pick up my pace a little, feeling uncomfotable by the shadows lurking behind me. After another half an hour, I glance behind me again. I gasp. If it's even possible, the darkness seems to be getting closer. It's following me! Surely this must be the darkness that can swallow you up that Kara was talking about. I swim faster, hoping that I can stay ahead of the shadows. I don't know how long I will have to do this though. I pick up my pace again, now going as fast as my tail will allow. The ocean around me passes by in a blur and lots of bubbles. I turn around once more to find the darkness getting even closer to me. It seems like the faster I go, the faster the shadows and darkness go. I furiously try to stay ahead of the darkness, but it's no use. I watch in horror as the darkness surrounds me. I stop swimming, unable to see a thing.