Hook, Line & Sinking (Completed)

38. Trapped

Yay update's here!

Enjoy!

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Trapped

I couldn't stop shaking, my skin was burning and deep in the pit of my belly I ached. It was hard to stay focused now, hard to listen to Noah's voice as he steadily talked to me over the phone. He sounded calm but I heard the noise of an engine, the rush of wind, he was clearly on a boat.

Gavin was still in the tunnels though, and while I had lost him for now he didn't need air, he could keep trying options in the maze-like warren down here. Then there was Clay, what if he had come after me to? What if he was smarter about it? I was a sitting duck right now. I needed to find a way to defend myself.

I stumbled as I tried to get to the lock box again, my body felt far too hot and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. Getting into the water would be smart to stop the moon from affecting me more, but if I did I was almost certain the Corenth brothers would be able to track me. Maybe I was being paranoid but still.

There was a lantern, blankets, food rations, water and even a small solar panel and extra charger for the emergency phone I'd just used. There was also a pocket knife which I took and a huge first aid kit. I discarded Matt's extra clothes and had just found a big flashlight when I heard a noise.

Spinning around I felt like the world was getting sort of hazy, definitely getting that drugged feel from last time the full moon had affected me. I should feel more panicked at this point than I was but I was too hot, too worn out to muster it.

The water surface inside the grotto was usually mirror smooth but now there was a ripple. I knew what that meant, someone was swimming in through the tunnel. I hoped fervently that it was Matt but I knew that was too soon, I'd only just gotten off the phone with Noah.

No wait, that wasn't right. I hadn't hung up on Noah had I? I'd just gotten distracted. Realizing that my foggy brain had dropped the ball on that one I searched around me quickly and located the phone, balanced on the waterproof crate that housed the pillows we used when here. I picked it up with my left hand, clutching the pocket knife in the other one and then just dropping the knife when my hands felt too slippery. I picked up the flashlight again instead.

"Dani? Dani! Damn it! Answer!" Noah was yelling into the phone and through dry lips I told him I was there. His relief was instant, "Oh thank you, what happened? Are you okay?" I was nodding before I remembered he couldn't see that. "I'm okay, just the full moon... I can't think... There's someone coming. It's not Matt yet is it?"

Heart pounding I listened to Noah curse and say something to someone else that sounded a lot like hurry up. Then he said in that calming tone, the one that always soothed me no matter how hard I resisted, "No honey. Is there a weapon? Anything you can use to defend yourself?"

The ripples were getting bigger, whoever it was was almost through the tunnel. I pressed the phone between my ear and shoulder and braced myself, holding the flashlight like a club. "He's almost here."

Noah was giving me more instructions but I didn't hear them. The shape coming out of that tunnel was far too recognizable. A merman, long tail and wide shoulders were the first thing I noticed and then I saw the glimmering silvery blonde hair.

No, that was definitely not Matt. When the merman surfaced I saw his face, Clay not Gavin who'd been chasing me in the water. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing; it meant Gavin was still lost in the maze of tunnels. But Clay, though the middle brother, was by far the biggest. He looked like a body builder and managed to make Matt look slender when stood next to him. Not that you could ever call Matt a small guy.