Scared New World

Chapter 11

I was fast asleep when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake. The world tilted as I opened my eyes, immediately shutting them as the light blinded me. For a second, I couldn't remember where I was or what happened. Then, in a flash, it all came back to me.

My shoulder. Blinding pain. Tiger Shark. Jay. My eyes popped open as I surged forward, biting back a scream. It felt like someone had poured lava onto my shoulder. I looked up into familiar green eyes. David.

He steadied my back, using his free one to hand me the pen and paper. On it was a message, hastily written. There's someone else here. Tiger Shark may be dead, but he had others working for him. As I looked up at him, he shook his head, putting a finger to his lips.

I squeezed my eyes shut, counted to ten, then opened them again. A merman with chocolate-brown eyes stared back at me, a slightly crazed smile on his face.

Time slowed down to a crawl, my vision sharpening. I took a deep breath, then struck. Using my arms for balance, I pushed off the floor and brought my tail fins crashing on his head. I didn't hear the crack, but the blood on the floor told me what had happened. A movement out of the corner of my eye had me whirling around. Multiple mermen floated in front of me, all holding crossbows.

Adrenaline coursed through my body as I moved through the water, taking down each merman in two moves or less. I'm not exactly sure how I managed, but before long, the mermen's bodies lay on the ground, sightless eyes staring up at the ceiling.

I didn't feel the blood on my hands right away. When I did, however, hysteria seized me. My entire body trembled as I sunk to the ground, staring at my blood-soaked hands. What did I do? Was the thought running through my head on repeat. Sobs wracked my body, mingling with the tremors.

David swam to me, gripping my arms and staring at me, his grey eyes wide and dark skin pale. I knew he had questions—I had a few of my own—but I couldn't think over the roaring in my head.

I dimly noticed him scooping me into his arms and carrying me home. When we got inside, the situation hit me like many bricks. Jay swam out to meet us, his expression a mixture of concern and worry.

They helped me into the living room, where I collapsed on the couch, tremors running through me rapidly. Whenever I looked at the blood on my hands, the image of Meri returned to me.

When I felt strong enough to rise, they grabbed my hands, leading me into the bedroom. Before I got into bed, they helped me wash the blood off my hands. The tremors quickly gave way to shivering. It was like someone had brought the water of the Arctic to my bedroom. I'm so cold. Why am I so cold? The pen shook in my grip as I wrote.

David glanced at Jay before responding. The worry in their gazes was clear as day. You're in shock. Which reminds me, we got word from your sisters today. We sent a message explaining what had happened. They should be here any day now.

I nodded, feeling a bit better. Jay put a hand on my arm. We should let you get some rest. You must be exhausted.

He wasn't wrong. I was tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to close my eyes without seeing the faces of the men that I'd killed. I shook my head. No. Don't go. Talk to me. Tell me a story. I could see in their eyes that they understood my unspoken words. Distract me.

Small smiles appeared on their faces. Within minutes, they'd started showing me their poor attempts at signing—emphasis on the word poor. I don't even think they made any legitimate signs. Before I realized it, sleep had started to drag me under. I thought I'd be terrified to sleep, but I felt comfortable with Jay and David. I couldn't wait for my sisters to meet them. That was the last coherent thought I had before darkness overtook me.

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