Under Changing Tides

Chapter Four: Wicked This Way Comes

The sound of the fire alarm wakes Nora up; the darkness still presents and not a wink of light pouring through the open window. She shoots straight up in her bed and stares at the open window with fear in her that doesn't allow her to even breathe. Her skin rising with gooseflesh not just from the air blowing from the bay but because she made sure it was closed and locked.

Flinging the covers off of her, Nora rushes to her bedroom door and opens it to find every other light in the house on. The alarm pulses and screeches as she makes her way down the stairs towards the kitchen; the lights all on, but she can see no one else or hear anything other than the deafening pitch. Rounding the corner she notices no one, but the smoke detector still going off and nothing on the stove or cooking. Nora hits the button on the device with the end of the broom; the silence is earsplitting when it stops, her ears ring as she looks about for any sign of anyone but comes up short when she hears the front door open, and the familiar jingle of Amanda's keys hit the door, Nora runs out to her, not knowing what else to do.

"Where the hell have you been? I woke up and the smoke detector was going off and there is no one here." She tells her aunt frantically.

"What do you mean, where have I been? It's only midnight." Amanda states as she puts a hand on Nora's shoulder. "I always work bar shift on Tuesdays, and I was first cut tonight, is everything alright?" she asks as she leads them into the living room where she sets her stuff down.

"I guess I'm just losing my mind," Nora tells her as she tries to shake the feeling of something wrong off her chilled body. "Moon and I did some snooping today about the attacks from before, but there was almost nothing to go on." She says and watching Amanda nod in understanding.

"A bad breakup wasn't the real reason I left Cresthaven by freshman year of college, but it was the deciding factor; this place has been crumbling since before your mom or I were even born; nothing will change." She tells Nora with a roll of her eyes.

"But how are we supposed to prepare for what's next?" Nora asks as if it's the easiest question to answer.

"Prepare for what, Nora, as far as anyone knows this is the first time." She states with a shake of her head. "Who knows what will come of all this, we will have to wait for the next Council conference, and if they even let me listen in..." she finishes while grabbing a juice from the fridge in the kitchen.

Amanda is right and Nora knows it, Cresthaven has always been very tightlipped when it comes to the Council, her parents never told them anything going on until they needed to. Giving up on the conversation Nora sits with Amanda on the couch and watches as the news flashes across the screen. They listen to the man with a droning voice until another alarm sounds faintly in the distance.

The sound of her phone wakes her up this time. The bell chimes that echo from upstairs don't seem to capture her attention as much as the television does. Pushing up from the couch she turns the volume up and watches as the reporter makes way for paramedics at the Cresthaven Bay Boat Ramp.

"In the wee hours of the morning, what should have been a regular fishing departure, turned into something from a horror movie, this is what happened when the Coastguard got the call from the fishermen." The anchorman says as it cuts to a dark screen with a noise register reacting to the voice recording.

"There is a problem with my boat; I need someone to tow me to the dock, probably an engine short I have no power, thank god the radio has a battery." He tells the operator.

"What are your coordinates, we will have someone out to you in a jiffy?"

"Can you have them hurry, there is a nasty fog rolling in, and I don't need to be out here all morning making no money." He says and the operator gives a chuckle with him.