Restless Waves

Chapter 5

Rowan couldn't struggle against the Thalassic Mortal when he was dragged into the cold ocean. The poison paralysed him quickly, and the pain was unlike anything he had ever felt. His veins throbbed like they were ready to burst. His muscles and joints seized and fell limp. Rowan's head was kept upright from the water as the Thalassic Mortal sank lower and lower.

The silence of the ocean was not calming. If it were daytime, Rowan might not have felt so petrified. He couldn't see anything. The moon was behind the clouds, and the water hurt his already stinging eyes. He could feel the tight grip on his arms from the creature who was killing him, but Rowan couldn't look him in the eyes as he did it.

Rowan had not thought much about death. He assumed he had the rest of his life to prepare for the end. Rowan realised how careless he had been to believe that he had all the time in the world to go after his dreams. As his lungs started burning, Rowan began to regret not living every day like it might have been his last. If he knew that an average Wednesday would take his life, he wouldn't have wasted so much time doing nothing. It was impossible to know when the end was close, but Rowan sure as hell wished that he acted like the end was always on his heels.

The pressure of the water started pushing against Rowan's skull. He wanted to take a sharp inhale, but his lungs would fill with water. He only had around twenty seconds until he had to let go of his breath before his lungs exploded.

The seconds were ticking away. Everyone else was continuing to live while Rowan was slowly dying. He thought in his final moments that he would think about his family and his life and the ones that mattered. All he could think about was how he should have had more time.

When Rowan was about to release his breath, the creature who held him clutched his arms hard, and the pain almost took over the agony in Rowan's lungs. Then suddenly, they moved back up and the pressure released on Rowan's head. He couldn't move, but he would feel it if he reached the surface. More than anything in the world, Rowan wanted air.

* * * * *

Wez was back at the shore in twenty minutes. Mandy had been silently crying the entire time. She stopped the poison fast and already started to move her toes and ankles. The smaller muscles started to move first. Soon, she would be able to haul herself into a sitting position.

"Get Michael!" she yelled, only just able to move her lips.

"Mandy, your son's gone-"

"No!" Mandy yelled and rolled onto her back. "Get Michael!"

Wez sighed and looked at Mandy's tear-stained face. He knew Rowan had drowned. Thalassic Mortals found joy in watching the life drain out of humans who tried to hunt them. If by chance Rowan had escaped, the poison would kill him.

"NOW! Mandy screamed, and Wez jumped off the boat and through the shallow water. He ran across the sand and up the sand dune towards the narrow path. Wez trudged through the mud and paused when he reached the road. He didn't want to be the one to tell Michael what had happened.

Slowly, he crossed the dirt road and approached the house. Wez knocked and rang the doorbell multiple times. He shouted Michael's name until he heard loud thuds of someone running to the door.

Michael yanked the door open, and Wez stepped back. "Michael, I'm so sorry," he said quickly. "We got ambushed. They knew we were coming to hunt."

Michael pieced his words together fast and lunged forwards. He gripped Wez's jacket and pushed his back to the wooden pillar. "Where is my son?" he asked. "Where's Mandy?"

"Mandy's in the boat, but your son- Michael, your son... I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do."

Michael gripped him harder. "Where, is, my, son?" he asked through gritted teeth. His heart was beating fast, and his stomach filled with dread.