Blame: Book 2- Tick Tock (The Sequel to Book 1)

Tick Tock

Alicia's POV

Dead sardines...it repeated in my head as I sprinted with the phone case in my hand. If only I had my phone! I angrily sped up the pace. Hannah had taken my phone while I was unconscious, since I couldn't find it after I woke up in this Sea World park. I stopped to have a breather, planting heavily under the Florida sun. The phone case. This was the big hint as to where I should go, and which creature it had similarities to. A phone has it...I looked down at the green casing. And the said animal has one too...I used my hand to wipe away the sweat and oil that clumped on my forehead, but then I froze. The sun assisted, and I managed to see through this seemingly tough riddle. I began running again, remembering where I had seen the area where that animal lived.

I smirked and looked down at the transparent casing. I recognize that pattern! My fists squeezed harder as I pulled into a tight sprint. I ran to the indoor tube of aquarium animals, knowing that it was where the park kept the sea turtles. It all made so much fucking sense now! Turtles had their own type of "phone case", it was their shell, and the colour of the phone case in my hand connected to the stereotypical colour of sea turtles. The one thing that made the most sense, was the pattern that stood out on the case if I held it under the sunlight. It's that unique pattern that looks like a hexagon, but it's not, or it looks like a pentagon, but it isn't! So that's how it's going to be, Hannah?

     "Where are they?" I looked around in the tunnel of water tanks.

There they are.

A single smirk passed on my face.

A neatly displaced sign, most definitely from Hannah, was taped to the bench sitting right against the glass. I let out a groan of frustration when I realized what was written on it.

Their food was where you met the walruses. Kelp or jellyfish?

    Make the turtle tap the target.

"Fuck..." I nibbled on my fist anxiously. Now I have to run all the way back to where I found the walruses.

     I saw a painted red target on the outside of the glass tank, and knew exactly what I had to do. I had to use the food to make the turtle touch it's beak against the bullseye of the target- because there was a red button attached on the other side.

I was about to run out the way I came from, but I noticed a messily folded up piece of paper pinned under a tipped- over coffee cup. Could it be...I hoped for the best when I picked up the paper and began to unfold it. I couldn't imagine that I had found this lying around randomly. Pure luck had washed upon me. This was a map that had been left behind by a tourist. Once my eyes scanned the map, I gasped out of joy and relief when I noticed two familiar icons. The walruses were directly behind the aquarium tunnel. I ran as fast as I could go, and lunged out when the sight of two metal buckets came into my vicinity. Thankfully, the jellyfish were still fresh, giving me one less thing to worry about when it came to luring the sea turtles.

     I ran all the way to the tunnel again and noticed the turtles swimmingly around freely and peacefully. It was when I tipped the bucket to reveal the pinkish jellyfish, that one of them came speeding at me. I flinched backwards when it hit its beak against the glass, but smiled when I noticed the red button had been pressed inwards. I felt a light force hit the back of my neck, turning around to face the thrower- no one was there. Instead, the line crumpled ball of paper sat at my feet. I bent down and picked it up, trying to unscramble it to see what was written on it. Lucky me...another fucking riddle to solve. I frustratedly sighed and pinched the ridge between my eyes.