Captivity

Chapter 4: Acceptance

Everyone froze as the dark mer came to life. No one dared move less the creature turned to lash out at them. Sam stared on in horror, dreading that the next moment would be her last. Why had she been so stupid to just run up to the mer like it was her best friend? This was a foreign unknown species to them, a creature of myth that no one knew anything about, and she'd just waltzed right up to the beast's unconscious form.

Now she was stuck with the predicament of getting herself out of this situation. The mer's gaze was fixated directly on her. If she moved even slightly wrong it could be the end of her. The beast could leap off the table and savagely tear her apart. They didn't even know what he ate, there was a strong chance he probably would consider them prey. At least the old myths told of them luring men from their boats and devouring them. She wondered just how much of it was true...

Knowing she had to get out of the situation one way or another, she made to hesitantly remove her hands from the animal. The farther she was from strike range the better off she was. As it was fearfully expected, the moment she let her hand pass by his head, he'd immediately fixated on it. The sudden motion caused Sam to spook and jerk away and it was then that the mer lunged.

She screamed, tumbling back onto the floor. The others quickly came to her aid, pulling her away from the mer; her uncle being the first to check for injuries. Overall she was fine, just spooked, though her wrist did show the signs of teeth, it was thankfully not deep.

Sam hadn't even noticed her uncle or the other's move to try and save her. Her gaze had fixated on the animal in front of her. The mer lay upon the table, his form twisted from how he had arched upwards at her, his head hanging over the edge of the slab. But that wasn't the mer himself that had her true attention, it was the bracelet clamped in the creature's jaws. She heard the resounding snap of the shell between its teeth, before the mer dropped the trinket with a look of disappointment; tongue hanging out of his mouth hungrily.

She continued to stare on in silence, ignoring the cries of the men around her, before the observation clicked with her mind. She rose abruptly, startling the others as she made a beeline out of the room and down the hall her mind set on its goal. Nate followed after her, continuing to call her name, but she ignored him. It wasn't until he'd grabbed her by the arm that she whirled on him.

"Sam, wait. You were bit and it needs to be treated immediately!" He attempted to calm her, hoping that he could get some sense into what he thought was panic. But the look she gave him quickly had him unhanding her.

"I'm fine, it's only a scratch," She turned and continued to wander down the hall.

"Sam, wait! Where are you going?!"

He called after her as she continued to stride down the halls, poking her head into different rooms looking for something. By the third door, she finally acknowledged him once more.

"Where's the kitchen in this place?"

Nate blinked, seeming taken aback by the sudden question. She'd been attacked only a minute ago and she was suddenly interested in food. He couldn't fathom what had gotten into her, "Sam.. Why are you..."

He was cut off by the slam of a door as the young woman continued off down another corridor. A sigh graced his lips before he trailed on after her. She hadn't shown signs of going into shock, but he still had to ensure that she was going to be alright. Upon finding her again, she'd successfully made her way into the cafeteria kitchens and was scouring the shelves, much to the displeasure of the cooks.

"Sam, will you please explain to me what is going on?"

"Didn't you see what was in his mouth?" She answered with a question of her own, her focus still on running through the shelves. Her uncle, however just gave her an exasperated look, which was enough of an answer for her to continue, "I bought one of those gift shop bracelets. He was trying to eat the shell. I think you've been trying to feed him the wrong thing."