Page 54 of Drenched

The coral thinned, the seabed turning to jagged rock and stretches of barren sand. The water grew colder, the light dimmer. My breath quickened, unease rising within me like a tide. The cave lay ahead, its mouth a black wound in the ocean’s skin.

But something else loomed between me and that darkness.

The barrier.

It shimmered faintly, a distortion in the water. A wall of force, invisible but tangible, like a pulse of energy locked in place. I swam closer, my fingers reaching out. The moment they touched the barrier, a shock rippled through me.

I gritted my teeth.No.I wasn’t going to stop now.

I pushed harder. The barrier resisted, pressing back with a force that made my bones ache. My lungs strained. Panic clawed at the edges of my mind. But I dug in, every muscle in my body screaming.

Let me through.

I pulled back and surged forward again, my shoulder slamming against the barrier. Pain shot through me, but I didn’t stop. I clenched my jaw, my vision blurring with frustration and determination.

Again.

Again.

My body shook with effort, my mind a razor-edged chant of defiance. And then, with one final push, the barrier gave way. I slipped through, the resistance vanishing like a popped bubble. The water on the other side was colder, thicker, as if grief itself had seeped into it.

The moment I crossed, the whispers began.

Faint at first, like echoes from a distant shore. Then louder, weaving around me, curling into my ears.

Pearl...

You let us die...

Free us...

The water carried their torment, their despair. My heart pounded, a frantic drumbeat in my chest. Each whisper scraped against my mind and suddenly I saw a glow. It was coming from a cave.I swam forward, the cave’s mouth widening before me. Darkness spilled from it, an inkblot expanding, swallowing the ocean around me.

Suddenly, a hint of movement stopped me cold.

The Vurrax slipped from the shadows, its long, eel-like body almost invisible in the murky depths. A faint shimmer caught the edges of my vision, just enough to make me turn. My gut twisted. It was circling me.

Its translucent skin rippled, the spines along its back undulating like a series of needles poised to strike. It moved faster than it had any right to, smooth and predatory. It was hunting me, and it knew I could see it now.

A surge of fear tried to lock up my limbs, but I clenched my teeth, forcing my grip to tighten around the hilt of my blade. I couldn’t let this thing get the upper hand. Not this time.

The Vurrax shot forward, its mouth gaping open to reveal rows of needle-like teeth. I twisted to the side, the water dragging at my movements. Its spines grazed past my arm, cold, sharp, leaving a line of pain into my flesh. A scream bubbled up, choked by the water.

Before I could recover, it coiled back, its body tensing. It came at me again, faster, more precise. I slashed out wildly, my dagger connecting with the side of its jaw. The creature hissed, a vibration I could feel more than hear, and backed off, a dark cloud of its blood swirling into the water.

It didn’t stay away long. The moment’s hesitation gave me just enough time to spin and kick toward the cave’s entrance. My lungs burned, every muscle screaming for oxygen, but I couldn’t stop. The Vurrax was on me again, darting forward like a silver needle, its spines flaring out to trap me.

One spine snagged my calf, slicing through my wetsuit, the pain a white-hot spike that shot up my leg. My vision blurred, the saltwater mixing with the raw ache. I turned, desperate, and drove my knife downward, straight into its side. The dagger sank in deep, meeting the soft tissue beneath its scales.

The Vurrax writhed, its body whipping violently, the force nearly yanking the knife from my hand. I twisted the dagger deeper, my fingers numb, my heart pounding in my ears. The creature’s body spasmed once, twice, then went slack. It died.

But I was alive.

And the cave waited.

I swam toward its entrance, my limbs heavy, my thoughts tangled with pain and dread. The water thickened with each stroke, clinging to me like a shroud. My breath came faster, shallow and tight in my chest.

The whispers clawed at my ears, curling through the water, slipping into the cracks of my mind.

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