Hooks

Chapter 22: The Beast

It was a huge, colossal fish with the snout of an alligator, the teeth of a shark, the eyes of a Bengal tiger, the horns of a bull, and the tail of a platypus...

The mayor looked up and began to shake and shiver with fear.

"Ther-ther-Therion?" he said trembling before the monstrosity.

The whole city was swimming aimlessly back and forth trying to avoid the large beast. Therion circled the chamber as he snorted loudly. After doing a few circles around, Therion swam up to the front of the stage and got right in front of the mayor's face. The creature then let out a huge roar that shook the chamber and terrified the mayor. The whole town had calmed down at this point and was just watching to see what was going to happen to the mayor.

"I-I-I...I thought I got rid of you..." stuttered the mayor.

The whole city gasped and everyone began gossiping and speaking quietly about the mayor. Some words I could make out and others sounded like jibberish but right now, the city's thoughts were drowned out.

"What!? What did you just say, mayor?" I asked shocked.

"Huh? I didn't say anything..." said the mayor nervously.

"No...you said something. Say it again," I said.

"No!" he said.

Therion roared again, louder than last time. He was so close to me that I could smell his horrible breath and every time he roared he pushed the skin on the mayor's face back.

"Therion knows you're lying!" I yelled.

"Lying? Mark, we all know you're the liar," he said.

Therion roared again, this time opening up his big mouth. He began to slowly close it down on the scared mayor.

"Okay, okay! I'll speak!" said the mayor crying.

"I am the brave, hooded fish!" he screamed.

Therion unlocked his jaws and released the mayor. The whole town gasped again and went quiet. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

"Yes, it's true...I killed this beast. Or at least I thought I did...but now he has returned and he will kill us all!"

The city began to scream and cry out for help. I took the equipment from the mayor.

"Attention! Everyone listen up!" I yelled.

Nobody was paying any attention or listening to me. I banged on the top of the equipment really hard with my fin and it made a loud, ear piercing, screechy noise. Everyone covered their ears and Coral City went quiet once again.

"Does he look like he wants to hurt any of you?" I asked.

Therion continued snorting and you could tell that he was trying to manage and control his anger. He floated there in the water idly and still as he stared at the mayor with a fixed gaze.

"The only one he has been after or staring at this whole time is the mayor! And something tells me that there's a reason behind that..."

"Mark, didn't I tell you to leave?" said the mayor as he regained his confidence a bit.

Therion then roared in the mayor's face once again and the mayor cried out:

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"But are you? Are you really sorry mate?" said Kambara from the back of the stage.

"Yeah, and you are such a crybaby!" Gummy added.

"Mark, listen carefully...you're ruining my plans," whispered the mayor trying to keep a secret between the two of us.

"I was thinking maybe you and I could both rule the seas and be happy together but now you're kinda-"

Before the mayor could finish, Therion let out another loud roar that ripped through the waters. This time, he roared so loud that he got leftover food all over the mayor's face and the mayor began crying and coughing.

"Please stop that! I got rid of you once and I can do it again!" he screamed at the colossal fish.

Therion looked angrier than ever and was not having it. He wanted the truth and he did not like the fish that the mayor had become. You could tell this just by looking into the threatening but innocent creature's eyes.

"Mayor, maybe you can change your ways. You could start over and try again. You could be a good fish. You could restore the city's trust and then over time fish will start to love and adore the mayor we all once knew," I said hoping that he would realize the mistake he had made.

The mayor slowly turned away from Therion and swam over to me. He slowly looked up at me and gently put his fin on me.

"You're right Mark..." said the mayor as he took the equipment back from me. He put it up close to his mouth and his voice boomed into it.

"What if I was a good fish? What if I didn't rule the seas like I wanted to? Mark...are you kidding me? Are you listening to yourself? I would rather be a shark with no teeth than to be a "good" fish!" he yelled.

Gummy started bawling in the back of the stage.

The mayor then came swimming at me full speed with the equipment in his hand. He was lunging at me. I saw my life flash before my eyes and as I watched him swim closer and closer I screamed and stayed there frozen stiff. To my surprise, I then witnessed Therion give out one last huge roar that shook the whole sea. He opened his mouth and swallowed the mayor whole.

"NOOOOOO!!!" yelled the mayor as he slid down Therion's pointy tongue never to be seen again.

Therion then started swinging his platypus tail in the water and swam off further and further into the darkness never to be seen again. The citizens of Coral City watched in awe as he swam off. No fish knew what to say so most of them just kept quiet and didn't say anything.

I then swam over to Gummy and Kambara realizing what had just happened.

"It was for his own good mate. Coral City didn't need him anyway," said Kambara.

"He's right..." said Gummy sniffling.

I had to see my family. It had been days since I last saw them. I swam through the crowds of fish as I searched for my wife and kids.

"Carol! Pixie! Morgan!!!" I yelled as I hoped for an answer.

The sea was silent.

"Daddy! Daddy!" said a soft voice far behind me.

I turned around and to my relief, Pixie was there. Her smile was glowing and I was so happy to see her. I had missed her and the rest of my family so much.

"Pixie! Daddy missed you so much! Where's Morgan and mommy?" I asked her.

"There's my hero!" said Carol as she came swimming up from behind Pixie.

"Dad, I'm really proud of you. What you did, I could never do," said Morgan.

"Son, I would've said the same thing at your age. But, sometimes you make sacrifices for the ones that you love the most," I said.

"I'm just glad Coral City is safe again," said Coral.

It was then that we heard loud noises from above. They sounded like sirens. The city listened and we heard lots of people above the surface. Then, a large splash hit the surface of the water and something big began to drop down on Coral City.