A Game Show Demise

Chapter 8: Thalassophobia

It takes me a moment to open my eyes, but the sound of waves manages to eventually let me open my eyes. And sure enough, once I open them, I see waves of water where my feet are. "Oh, what the hell-" I mutter, moving back away from the water a bit and going to stand up.
"Would you say a trip to the beach is relaxing?" Deimos' voice rings all around me, his tone deep and unnerving. I looked around to see him floating (or standing, hard to tell) nearby. "I always enjoy my trips there when I get the chance."
"Where are we?" I ask impatiently, looking over at him. "What kind of hellscape did you send me to?"
"I suppose my question was rhetorical then," Deimos said. "And I can assure you, there is no hellscape here. Does this look like hell?"
"It looks like a void of nothingness," I comment, looking around, then noticing the water again. "Plus water, I guess."
"The sound of the waves is always calming, isn't it?" He responds, floating up closer to me, his tone seeming to be sounding friendlier than before.
"What trick are you trying to pull?" I wasn't buying into whatever he was plotting.
It wasn't that I disliked water or anything of the sort. It's just that when you end up witnessing your younger sister drowning and being unable to help her...you learn to be cautious.
"Do I really seem like a trickster? Cause I'm quite insulted really," He responds as I feel water waving up closer to my feet again. I move backward away from it again, to which Deimos feels the need to comment. "What, scared of your shoes getting wet? Trust me, those aren't expensive shoes."
"How about you shut up?" I mutter, feeling unable to move back anymore. I turn around to see if there's a wall, but there's nothing there. Yet, something is preventing me from moving back anymore. I try moving sideways, but can't. I can move forwards though, but why would I?
"You aren't very friendly, you know?" His voice rings again. "I haven't done anything wrong-"
"Like hell you haven't!" I yell, turning to confront him, but not seeing him anywhere. "You don't just have questions that relate to people's personal lives and broadcast that shit!"
"Oh, I guess I wasn't aware of this rule," he says, obviously lying. "I will try not to do that in the future. But I can only guess that your crude behavior has something to do with your father."
"Keep. Him. Out of this," I mutter sternly, feeling the water rise above my shoes. "I didn't ask to be reminded of him."
"Yet it sounds like you remind yourself of him so often. I mean, why else have such a visceral reaction to the question being asked?"
"BECAUSE YOU DON'T JUST TALK ABOUT THAT SHIT!" I yell furiously. The water rises higher up to my knees, but I don't notice it at first, due to being distracted by Deimos' taunting.
"I mean, sure he caused some emotional damage to your psyche, but you can't blame everything you've done on him."
"And I never have, I take responsibility for my actions unlike that asshole of a man," I mutter, glaring at where his voice seemed to be coming from, but unsure where to look since it sounded like he was everywhere.
"So you hold yourself accountable for Kira's death?" He adds quickly, not even sounding the slightest remorseful.
"You keep my sister out of this!" I yell, the water reaching up to my waist.
"I mean, you just sat there and watched it all happen; I'm certain there's something you could've done," Deimos continued to taunt, acting like this was just a normal topic of discussion.
"If you know so much about me, you know it wasn't that simple-!" I yell again, starting to notice the feeling of the water getting higher. "And what the hell is with all the water?!"
"Well I believe it was a simple situation; it was you or her," he added, disregarding my previous question. "And you just watched and didn't do anything."
"Stop talking about it!"
"Why? I thought you said you take responsibility for your actions. Was that not true?"
"Just stop talking about it you asshole!"
The water starts feeling like it rises higher and faster, feeling the water ascending to my chest. I try to stay up and afloat, but I feel something gently and slowly wrapping around my ankles.
"No one was holding back, and once again, it was you or her; and you let it be her."
"Why are you fucking still talking about it?!" I yell, the water rising past my chest and up to my neck.
"Were you afraid of what would've happened if it was you? Were you scared you'd be next? What is it, Cyrus?"
"Stop...just stop-!" I try to yell again, but I'm losing most of my energy trying to stay above the water. I feel the water rising faster, up closer to my chin. I tilt my head up, looking at whatever blackness above I could see, trying to fight to stay above while feeling the pull down from my ankles.
"Would you say you're a good swimmer Cyrus?" Deimos speaks once more, more taunting than ever.
I could barely say anything in retort. My energy was focused on this water, feeling the tugging getting stronger.
"How long can you hold your breath?"
"Don't...please..." I beg, starting to feel weak from it all, still trying to fight desperately but gradually losing this battle.
The water rises above my chin and to where my mouth is. I continued fighting to keep my face above the water, desperately trying to swim up and away. The tugging kept dragging me downwards until my arms finally gave out from all the swimming, and I felt myself being pulled down below the water. I slowly close my eyes and try to hold my breath.
~~~
He drowned. He tried so hard to fight and stay afloat...but he just couldn't. There were demonish hands wrapped around his legs underwater, fighting to forcibly pull him down and under the water.
I didn't even know him that well...I didn't know Dawn that well either and yet I just feel absolutely terrible.
Circus music fills the room as the TV screens begin to show Bella. I can only imagine what personal hell Deimos has planned now.