Strangers of Sea & Land

Anger and Bargaining

Warning! Gore and swearing!!
Not edited yet, sorry!

Katt froze, petrified by the words. Grabbing what she needed, she dashed out of the shed.

The rain had begun pouring, drenching her papers, but there was no time to worry.

A grim feeling in her gut told her that danger was nearing. Kicking up sand in her wake, she ran, and ran, never daring to look back at shed.

She had thrown open the doors and left them like that, not bothering to lock it in her hurry.

Her feet seemed to carry her nowhere, the faster she tried to run, the slower she seemed to be moving.

The lighting cracked, sending loud booms through her ears. The ringing started.

A high pitched ringing, drowning out her thoughts, her frantic thoughts.

She was so confused, confused and lost. Just as she was nearing the grassy hills that acted as threshold between the beach and the houses, her surroundings were soon unrecognizable dunes. Sand whipped her skin, scratching and biting, like harsh frost.

Except it was scorching. The sand beneath her toes seared, like red hot coals.

The crash of the waves and sudden cracks of lightening intensified. Frying the air and sizzling the smallest hairs on her body.

Katt fell to her knees, struggling to breathe as her body kicked into panic mode. Clutching her chest, she looked around urgently, trying to find anything to help.

She fumbled to get her phone out, but the screen went livid, mixing colors, letters, and numbers.

She took deep breaths, desperately trying to remain strong.

At that moment, she found herself right at the water's edge, remnants of pounding waves crashing around her.

Soaking wet, she backed away quickly, her head whipping around, severely taken aback by the change in setting.

"Holy shit! Wha- where the fuck am I?!"
She screeched.

"What's happening?! No no no, this can't be fucking real!"

The grey misty air darkened further, a large black mass on the water's surface floated towards Katt. She tried to get away but it was too late.

A swirl of dark water shot up above the waves, whirling and convulsing. It morphed into the shape of a thin, stick thin, woman. Her tail was pitch black, fading into the pale skin of her abdomen.

'The lady from the pages?'

Spines poked out along her back, the ends of her fins, and a spiked crown adorned her head. Short, soaked, hair lay plastered to her sharp face.

She was beautiful, in a way, but unsettlingly, unnatural almost. Her neck and hands were decorated with shiny, silver engraved, shells.

Her boney fingers reached out toward Katt, slowly, methodically. Her hands cupped together, and a small clear bottle appeared.

Looking closely, Katt gasped, and stared into the little bottle. She gawked for a moment until rage engulfed her heart, grief was struck away by a new found anger .

"I knew it! I fucking knew it. My mom couldn't have been dead!"

Her cries were met by a deadly silence. The woman only held the bottle, eyes shut, expressionless. And yet she held a malevolent aura, she was here to hurt Katt it was obvious.

"Y-You bitch! You took her didn't you?! Because she knew you freaks existed! She knew it all and you had to get rid of her!"

Katt sobbed now, hating herself for it too. The tears never seemed to stop did they?

"Bring her back! Bring my mom back! P-Please!"

Silence, only the crashing of the waves, and the burning sand beneath Katt, proved that this was real.

"WHY?! Why'd you do this to us?! TO ME?!"

Her screams piercing out above the white noise around her.

"SHE'S RIGHT THERE!! RIGHT FUCKING THERE!"

Katt stood now, frustrated, shouting with all her heart, at the silent woman. Pointing, throwing her hands, up to the bottle.

Katt couldn't take it, the clear glass gave her a perfect view of her mother. Or what is left of Mary Cook to be exact.

A wispy spirit, clinking against the sides of the bottle, her face completely visible as she pounded and pounded at the glass. Trapped and begging to be let out.

Mary's mouth moved, clearly shouting for her daughter to help.

Her desperate eyes and cracked lips, were stained into Katt's mind.

The silent woman finally lifted her eyelids, revealing a pitch black sclera and electric blue irises. Her cheeks sunk in and her skin lost its radiance.

Spotted, old skin, spread across the once smooth pearlescent model of the silent woman.

When Evryn opened her mouth, the sound was chilling. A thin, raspy, voice that whistled with the wind.

"So, you have seen this wench's work? Then you must understand why I took her."

"No! No, I really don't, lady! All she did was write some myths!" Anger still spilled into Katt's words.

"Foolish child. Am I of myth to you? The mud people could never have made us up from their own dim minds. Emericus was always so blind to see your evil ways."

"What the hell are you talking about? N-Never mind! Give me my mom back now! She didn't do anything wrong!"

Evryn simply laughed, her disturbing giggle twinkled like bells.

"Hm. Perhaps that is how you mud folk perceive these issues. Well, no matter, I will make a deal with you child."

Katt sighed and nodded, this would be the only way.

"Please! I'll do anything, just please, bring my mom back."

Evryn's eyebrow raised and her thin lips curled into a slight smirk.

"Anything? Oh ho, what a large promise. But alas, I'll only ask what is necessary."

"Yes! Anything!"

"If you insist..I'll have your soul in replacements hers."

"Wha-what?"

"It's what you asked for, foolish child." Evryn laughed maniacally. Her arms stretched a contorted, shooting into Katt's chest, clawing through her heart.

Katt choked and blood dribbled down the corners of her mouth. Eyes wide open from shock.

Ripping her soul right from her body, Evryn unleashed the spirit from the bottle. A faint ghost emerged, landing softly onto the sand.

The ghost hovered beside Katherine's lifeless body. Mary weeped. A bright new soul now occupied the bottle and Mary has been set free, but at what cost?

She was now only a wandering spirit, destined to only haunt this bare shoreline. Her body already 6 feet under.

Evryn melted back into the sea and darted away to the Sirens Cove.

She had more work to accomplish.

And now with Katt, trapped and hidden away, Evryn could sink her claws into Braderian's plans.

"Everyone's the hero of their own story."
-John Barth