Of Fangs & Fins ✔

59. Family

SR: CORPSE – Cabin Fever

Fifty Nine.

Marina.

As a kid, I never minded being in tight spaces. In fact, I liked hiding out in the smaller and darker places in Aqueria. Neri and Jasper always gave up looking for me. I reigned as the hide and seek queen.

Right now, I didn't feel like any sort of royalty.

I'd woken in a box that was just barely a foot wide in all directions. I suppose it was to prevent me from shifting into my fin... I frowned, shoving my shoulder back. It smacked against the metal and I winced when a spark of pain crawled up, leaving me breathless. I wasn't feeling too strong, perhaps from all the blood loss. I wasn't claustrophobic, but as the seconds ticked by and my sweat accumulated, the walls began closing in on me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to imagine I was anywhere other than here. Perhaps the surface of Aqueria, the open water, and steady waves hugging me. It held me in its embrace, the coolness settling my erratic pulse. It eased the panic in my brain and iced over my limbs.

I was stupid to think I could outsmart a centuries-old vampire. Stupid to think that she would let those mermaids free in exchange for me. There was no reasoning with her.

I let out a scream, not knowing where it came from. It was a sudden burst of rage, but it was enough to make me feel good. I did it again, this time for longer. My chest heaved up and down steadily as I stared blankly at the metal in front of me. How was I going to get out of here?

I slammed my hand against the metal before my legs gave out and every so slowly I began to slide down the wall behind me. Tears threatened to prick the edges of my vision. I was in way over my head. What made me think I could rescue Nerissa on my own? What could I do against all this? Lucinda has a small empire, ready to take me down at any moment.

Where was Eryn?

A muffled clicking sound began to surround the container. At first, I was ignoring it, it probably wasn't anything worth thinking about. But as the clicking turned into steady knocking around me, I started screaming again.

Sweat poured down my face as I slammed my fist against the metal and shouted for help.

A low murmur sounded on my right.

"Help!" I shouted, my voice catching. My throat was grated raw, and every breath I took hurt. I had no idea how long I'd been screaming, but with how I cramped I was feeling, it was long enough.

The ground tumbled underneath me and in seconds, I was rolling. I couldn't tell what was the ceiling or floor. My shoulder crashed into the ground once the world around me righted itself. I was gasping for air as I desperately searched for an opening.

A grinding screech made me cover my ears. All I could see is the metal in front of me turning redder and redder. I pressed my back against the floor of the metal container as tight as I could. It was heating up and there was no way I was going to burn myself from finally getting free.

"Pull it back, dimwit!"

"You try pulling that back while it's that hot, oroka," A voice snapped, but it was impossible to not sense the softness in their tone.

"If I did this myself, we would've been out of here by now!" the other one hissed, their words more like whispers.

The metal gave way and I squinted my eyes, getting used to the sudden flash of light. My vision adjusted fast enough and I took in my surroundings, instantly sitting up. I gripped the edges tightly, starting at the two guys before me.