Into the Deep

Chapter 21

Content warning!!! Mentions of past rape, betrayal, murder, bodies and blood! Please proceed with caution!!

    When you woke up the first thing you noticed was that you were sore all over, causing you to whine slightly as you scrunched your eyes a little. Damn, why were you so sore? did you sleep funny or something? Or maybe you moved around a lot in your sleep? You did have quite the nightmare last night, so that wouldn't be all that surprising. You shivered at the thought of that monstrous creature made of rotting flesh and creaking metal, of your own body changed without your consent...Of it being used by those you trusted as though you were nothing more than a toy.

You quickly shook those thoughts away with a slight huff. They were dreams! There was no reason they should bring you any grief! You told yourself before yawning and rolling over, eager to sleep off the ache as you snuggled into your bed, only to snap your eyes open when you didn't feel your soft comforters and mattress and instead an odd texture that you didn't quite know how to describe in any other way than slimy. The first thing you noticed when your eyes were open was that you couldn't see much, so you quickly tried to push yourself up to try and see more as your eyes adjusted to the dark. This plan was immediately dashed though when you were suddenly pulled right back down by someone with a warble, earning a startled little yelp from your throat.

You panicked for a moment as you didn't know who it was until you recognized the familiar shape of Sun's head fins right before he pulled you into his chest in his sleep, causing you to grow still as you frowned at the sleeping Mer, confused. Why were you here with Sun? You wondered before your eyes drifted away from Sun to look at the surrounding area, feeling your eyes widen in silent wonder as you took in this new place around you, and your jaw dropped. You were in a cave you had never seen before, the walls made of dark, almost black stones that housed many little insects that glowed a gentle turquoise light about the cave, showing how the dark walls were slick with water and slime. The thick scent of salt and the sound of water lapping on stone told you that you were near water, seawater to be precise, and the lack of sunlight and/or wind coming from anywhere in the cave told you it was probably well hidden, maybe even under the water with the cave housing a beautiful natural phenomenon that allowed there to be an air pocket inside of the cave despite the cave not being directly connected to fresh air. Through all of this you could easily deduce that you weren't in your room, nor anywhere else in the Sanctuary, so what-

That's when you heard it. A thump. It was so quiet you nearly missed it...And if you were honest wished that you had. When you turned to see where that little sound came from you found the outline of a chubby seal's tail that, when you followed its shape, was somehow connected to you, rendering your legs null and void as that tail took up the space they were supposed to inhabit. That's when you were suddenly barraged with the memories of your nightmares-No. Not nightmares, but the happenings from when you were still lucid enough to understand what was going on. You felt as suddenly you were back there in that lab when that thing changed you, then the world shifted and you were in that dark enclosure where mangled and bloody human corpses lay by the door, and then you suddenly felt that searing heat that made you feel like you were being burnt alive and the pleasurable pain you couldn't stop despite how hard you tried to get it to stop. You felt your breathing become ragged as the memories repeated themselves over and over again, forcing you to see what was done unto you, forcing you to acknowledge a horrible truth that made you quiver and shake as bile rose up from your stomach and into the back of your throat, leaving no room to push it away or ignore any of it: You had not only lost your humanity to that monster...You had also been raped not long after that by the Mers you held so dear to your heart. Fuck...Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

"Sunshine?" A voice mumbled, breaking the stillness in the cave as you froze before shakily looking up and meeting Sun's white eyes which held a blue undertone in the light of the strange insects that called this cave home. Once, those eyes had brought you wonder and joy...Now they only brought you horrible reminders of being pushed down and taking whilst you could do nothing but take it-takeittakeit. You must've started to shake more as the bright Mer's eyes narrowed in concern as he pushed himself up a little more to meet your gaze with his own, causing you to flinch slightly. "Sunshine?! What's wrong?!"