Mermaids in Massachusetts

The Encounter

"Ausy! Wake up!" a voice called in Austin's ear. He groaned, opening his eyes to Tanner, standing over him. "We caught one!" Austin sat up slowly, taking in his surroundings. The pastel colors of the sunset shone overhead, and nighttime darkness had already began to consume the water around them.

"You caught one?" Austin asked, unsure if he had heard Tanner correctly.

"Yeah. Big, meaty fellow. Should last us a few days. Man, how cool is that?" Tanner said, a grin slipping over his face. Austin cringed. "Oh, come on. Morals are great and all, but you are going to die if you do not eat. Now get up here, Ian is prepping it and it is going to be amazing," Tanner said, pulling Austin up by the shoulder.

"Okay, whatever," Austin said. He wasn't very fond of this idea. He's never eaten people before, obviously. Unless you would count when he used to bite his fingernails, he might have accidentally swallowed one of those once...

Austin followed Tanner, keeping an eye out for anything that might be lurking in the night. His paranoia might be considered weird, but after learning all he has about this society, it's more normal than he might have thought. Sooner than he had hoped, Austin found himself, Tanner, and Ian sat in a circle. The sunlight was barely a sliver.

"This feels oddly satanic," Austin said, looking from the bloodstains on Ian's hands to the small, chunky pieces of meat between him and Tanner.

"Say what you might, if it keeps us alive, it is great," Ian said, divvying up the chunks.

"That... also sounds satanic," Austin said. This whole thing was making him apprehensive.

"Austin, just try it. It is not as bad as you might think, especially if you don't focus on it," Tanner said.

"Whatever. Let's just get this done with, yeah?" Austin said, picking up a cube of the meat from where Ian had them. He squished it between his fingers for a second, recoiling at the feeling. It was oddly soft, and yet very stiff at the same time. He didn't like it.

"I am fairly certain you are supposed to taste it with your mouth," Tanner joked. Austin took a deep breath and threw the meat into his mouth. It squished between his teeth, a strange flavor he'd never experienced before. It almost resembled a mix of barbecue sauce and uncooked salmon.

"Yeah, okay. That's really weird. Really weird," Austin said, swallowing it as fast as he could. "Definitely doesn't taste like chicken."

"What is a chicken?" Tanner asked, popping one of the meat cubes into his mouth.

"I'm really not in the mood to have this conversation," Austin said, forcing down another cube. As disgusting and horrifying as it was to eat, his instinct for survival outweighed any virtuous thoughts.

They continued on like that for another hour or so, eating in silence as the sun went down. By the time they were finished with what Ian deemed to be one serving each, it was pitch black night. "Maybe we should sleep tonight, walk in the daylight. I think the stakes of us going out now and living are going to be a little higher tomorrow than now," Tanner said, laying down in the sand where they sat.

"Hey man, whatever helps us live until tomorrow," Austin said, flopping backwards into the sand. "I literally just ate human flesh," Austin added after a moment. He sighed, uncomfortable with the whole thing. "I am officially a cannibal."

"Oh stop being so dramatic, you ate like, less than a whole arm. Besides, the people that we killed are also most likely cannibals, so what does it matter?" Tanner said. Austin heard him fall down beside him.

"Actual cannibal Austin Nguyen," he muttered. "Doesn't sound as cool as Shia LeBouf."

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Austin. It is a part of our society," Tanner said. Austin shifted, frowning.