Chapter 30
The beach stretches out before me, an endless expanse of dark sand meeting the untamable sea. The sky is a deep, velvety black, studded with stars that flicker like distant memories. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the salty tang of the ocean air.
I close my eyes, letting the sound of waves wash over me, and through it, I hear something else–Wake’s mating song. It starts as a faint hum, barely discernible beneath the roar of the ocean, but it grows louder, more insistent.
When I open my eyes, I see his dark form in the waves, waiting for me. Wake. The moonlight glimmers on his scales, casting an ethereal glow. Entranced, I step forward, my feet sinking into the wet sand.
With each step, I shed my clothes, leaving a trail behind me. The cool night air kisses my bare skin, and a shiver runs through me, but it’s not from the cold. It’s anticipation, an unmistakable urge drawing me toward him.
I wade into the water, the chill of the ocean wrapping around my ankles, then my calves. By the time I’m hip–deep, I’m fully immersed in the song, the notes vibrating through my bones. I dive into the waves, the cold water shocking my system as I plunge beneath the surface.
My legs transform, merging into a powerful magenta tail that glimmers in the moonlight.
Beneath the sea, everything is different. The water is a living, breathing entity, its currents pulling me deeper. Wake appears beside me, his dark eyes gleaming with an intensity that takes my breath away.
We come together in a spinning embrace, our tails intertwining as bubbles erupt around us. I open my mouth, and a song of my own escapes, a lilting addition to Wake’s haunting melody, the answer to his call.
He backs away and swims off, looking back, his eyes locking onto mine, and I know he’s trusting me to follow. I do, my tail propelling me through the water with ease. We dive deeper into the ocean, past the point of human exploration. The world around us transforms into an alien landscape, vibrant and teeming with life.
Wake leads me through a jellyfish nursery, the luminescent creatures drifting around us like living lanterns, then through the twisting passages of an underwater volcano, the heat radiating from the molten rock warming the water around us.
But the deeper we go, the more the surroundings change. The vibrant colors of the underwater world start to fade, replaced by a murky, almost monochromatic palette. The temperature fluctuates wildly, sending shivers down my spine one moment and making my skin prickle with heat the next.
I can feel the currents growing stronger, more erratic, as if the ocean itself is warning us to turn back. But Wake swims ahead, undeterred, and I follow.
We dive deeper, the light from the surface growing dimmer until it’s just a faint glow above us. The water here is thick with particles, making it harder to see. Shapes loom in the distance, large and ominous, their outlines blurred by the murkiness. As we approach, I realize what they are–bones. Massive, ancient bones, scattered across the ocean floor.
We enter the whale boneyard, and an eerie silence falls over us. The water is still, almost oppressive, as if the weight of the ocean is pressing down on us. The skeletons of these giants lie in twisted, unnatural positions, their ribs arching up like the bars of a cage.
Some are partially buried in the silt, only their jagged vertebrae visible, while others are almost completely intact, their massive skulls staring sightlessly into the abyss.
My heart races as we weave through the ribcages, the sheer size of these creatures overwhelming. Each bone is as long as I am, some even longer, and their presence is both awe–inspiring and terrifying. I can’t shake the feeling that we are trespassing in a place we don’t belong, a cemetery for beings far greater than ourselves.
Wake’s demeanor shifts as we move deeper into the boneyard. His usual grace and confidence are replaced by a tense vigilance, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. I can sense his unease, an innate awareness that something is not right. The water feels heavier here, thicker, and I struggle to keep up with him.
We pass through the ribcage of an enormous whale, the bones arching high above us like the columns of an ancient cathedral. The shadows here are deeper, darker, and I can barely make out the details of our surroundings. I have to focus on Wake’s form ahead of me, his dark scales glinting faintly in the dim light, to keep my bearings.
Then, we come across something that makes my blood run cold–a skull, but one unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s massive, easily twice the size of the whale skulls, with a gaping maw filled with rows of jagged teeth. The eye sockets are deep and empty, staring into the void with a malevolent presence that sends chills down my spine.
I freeze, staring at the skull in horror. Wake swims back to me, his face grim as he follows my gaze. He places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, but it does little to calm my racing heart. This skull doesn’t belong to any creature known to man. Unknown to many, I think, looking at Wake, but Wake is not a man.
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Chapter 30
Wake’s expression devolves into a growl, and 1 flinch, thinking he’s angry with me. But then I realize he’s not looking at me. He’s looking behind me. I turn slowly, my heart pounding in my chest, and feel the temperature plummet. A darkness passes overhead, so vast and all–encompassing that it blots out the faint light from above.
I look up, my mind struggling to comprehend what I’m seeing. A creature beyond reckoning looms above us, its enormous body moving with a slow, deliberate grace. Scales glisten like armor, each one the size of a boulder, reflecting the dim light in eerie patterns. The creature radiates pure bestial hunger and rage.
Its giant, scaled body twists in place, and one enormous, bloodshot eye falls onto me. The gaze is relentless, filled with a malevolent intelligence that sends waves of terror through me. I open my mouth to scream, but what sound escapes me is silent in the vacuum of the ocean.
As the creature’s maw opens, revealing rows of jagged teeth, I jolt awake, sitting bolt upright in my bed. My chest heaves, sweat pouring down my face as I
struggle to orient myself. I stare into the darkness, trying to figure out what just woke me up. Thunder crashes outside, making me jump.
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It’s just a thunderstorm. It’s only a bad dream.
I try to calm myself down, taking deep breaths. The rain pelts against the window, a soothing rhythm that almost lulls me back to sleep. Almost. Then I hear it–a thud, and another, coming from the bungalow’s front door. Someone is trying to break in.
Adrenaline surges through me. I scramble out of bed, my mind racing. Stan, it has to be. I grab an improvised weapon–a heavy lamp from the bedside table -and move toward the door. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat a countdown to confrontation.
“Who’s there?” I call out, my voice trembling despite my attempt to sound strong.
No answer, just another thud. The door rattles on its hinges. I tighten my grip on the lamp, ready to swing it with all my might. The door creaks open, and I raise the lamp, prepared to defend myself.
But it’s not Stan.
Standing in the doorway, naked, and dripping wet, is Wake. In human form.
I lower the lamp, my breath catching in my throat. “Wake?”
His eyes meet mine, filled with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine.
“Pho–ebe,” he says, his voice a deep rumble that vibrates through me. “We must talk.”
Chapter Comments
Visitor
when will you have an update to this
Kitti
hi will this story continue because i love it and im curious how it goes
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