To Ocean's End (40 page)

“Fine. Stop fighting back. I’ll take the easy victory.” He leaned in to bite my head off.

I buried my claws in his barrel chest like I was digging for his lungs and heart, and squeezed. He let out a roar. I flexed my fingers and dug into him as far as could pierce his armored hide. He head-butted me again and I ripped my claws free, getting another roar out of him. He slashed at my neck and a fiery pain erupted below my jaw. I heaved him off with my feet and gave him a good push with water, then lurched to my feet, holding my neck.

He and I were covered in cuts and bites. I was beginning to look as bad as they day I’d fled Poseidon’s palace, but at least so was Tethys. He was down to one eye and looking quite pissed, both hands over his chest. I looked at my fingers, which were covered in blood from my neck wound. I didn’t feel any blood trickling down my throat, but I was sure more fighting would make that happen.

Tethys charged me. I ran to meet him, leapt into the air and came at him, claws first. He suddenly stopped, grabbing one of my feet as he ducked under my claws, then spun and threw me into the ocean. I skipped once, then started cartwheeling the moment one of my limbs caught on the surface. A wave of water pushed me down and I shifted forms as the salt water stung my wounds. Tethys swam after me, looking like a bull shark charging with his jaw wide.

I put on a burst of speed, then circled back and hand-to-hand combat began anew, but with more attempts to bite and strangle each other as we rolled and twisted, churning up the water and scuffing up the rocky bottom. How was I going to end this fight and protect my home? My crew needed me. Newport needed me, yet I was locked in a battle with something evenly matched against me. I was smarter and faster, but he was stronger and able to absorb my blows. I was tactful; he was ruthless. The water began to redden with our blood.

*     *     *

Seeing Tethys walk down the pier had made Jessie’s blood run cold. Watching him explode into a demon form of his own... she almost passed out. It was like a horrible nightmare. She’d watched him pull the trigger, watched the quasis apply their deadly touch, watched him die. And now here he was, battling Dyne as a water demon. When he’d thrown Dyne out of sight, she’d thought that was it for him until next lockdown. But when he returned, transformed and fists flying, her hopes rose, only to be dashed by the sight of thousands of nereids, naiads, water serpents, and nymphs in the harbor. And when all those things made their way onto the wharf, everyone scattered, including the crew.

When Tethys had thrown Dyne out of sight, she’d thought that was it for him until next lockdown. But when he returned, transformed and fists flying, her hopes rose, only to be dashed by the sight of thousands of nereids, naiads, water serpents, and nymphs in the harbor. And when all those things made their way onto the wharf, everyone scattered, including the crew.

Jessie and Mido ran side by said. They tried to follow Ed and Ted, but too many people filled the streets as monsters gave chase. She and Mido took cover behind a fish stall, until a water serpent rammed its head repeatedly into the building behind them. They fled inland, weaving among the locals, who called out for friends and family. The monsters spilled inland with them, demolishing everything that stood. They acted like they were more interested in razing Newport, but didn’t hesitate to attack if anyone got too close to them.

“We’ve gotta get to the naval station,” Mido said. He tugged her northward and they began running parallel to shore.

“But they’ll just die for getting involved.” So many monsters ran rampant ahead of them, big and small. They ignored the locals between bouts of razing. When they ran out of buildings to flatten, they turned to pick off the stragglers.

“More people will die if we don’t find a way to fight back.” He lashed out with his sword, killing a nereid they passed with a blow to the head. Several other nereids broke away from tearing down a shop and charged Mido, bounding on all-fours. Jessie and Mido stopped, she giving him room to swing, then intercepted the last one and punched it in the head. “Leave him alone!” The creature fell in a heap at her feet, shook its head out, then crouched and looked at her.

“We destroy. Mistress’s orders.”

“I’m ordering you to stop!”
The nereid tilted its head. “But... you still want destroy. I confused.”

And with that comment, so was she. Mido fought off three nereids, taking them down one after the other. The last one latched onto his back and bit his shoulder, but a thrust between its eyes and the thing fell dead. Clutching his shoulder, he closed in on the one facing Jessie. She held up a gloved hand. “Wait!”

He skidded to a halt without lowering his sword, and looked at her expectantly.

Jessie faced the nereid. “I’m telling you to stop destroying and killing. Why are you so confused?”

It pointed to a curved hole in the side of its head. “I hear you, but I also hear you saying destroy. I confused.”

Jessie’s eyes widened. “I know!”
Do you hear me?

Yes, avatar.

Stop destroying. Stop the killing. Go back into the ocean and go home, and tell the others to do the same.

I go home but can’t tell others. No power. You must. Or mistress.

Jessie’s heart sank.
How many of you are there?

Thousands. Farewell.
The nereid scurried off.

“What did you just do?” Mido said.

“I telepathically told it to leave. I can commune with them, remember?”

“I do, but I didn’t think they’d listen any better than last time.” He gestured to a group of monsters invading a shop with patched siding.

Even with her ability to override Amphitrite’s commands, she wasn’t certain she could keep herself alive. Her against thousands? Was there even a way to overcome that? “I didn’t know about the telepathy thing until after Rhode sent us those creatures that helped me rescue Dyne. They listen to that better than spoken words, apparently.”

“Well then let’s go. I’ll protect you while you get them to leave.” Mido took her hand and led her to the nereids trashing a plaza. Red brickwork, big glass windows, and faded lettering--all of it being torn apart from the inside out. Newport was already in poor shape. This was one of many places that must’ve been too frightened to apply repairs. In the past, so many people had died to quasi-children as humanity discovered what forms of energy were against Mother Nature’s new rules. Most minor towns and cities simply patched up with scraps, afraid to die for so much as chopping down a tree. Now an army of sea monsters was tearing down what had survived all these years after the Purge.

A group of nereids tearing down a street lantern stopped at their approach. They slid off the pole and bounded towards them. Mido held up his sword as Jessie held out her hands and spoke in a commanding voice, “Stop!”

The four slowed to a crawl. One said, “Avatar pet!” They faced Mido and charged him.

Jessie lunged between Mido and the nereids. She imagined herself screaming at all of them.
All of you stop!
The last one she made eye contact with listened. The other three shoved her aside and assaulted Mido. Jessie staggered but caught her balance, then told the one that stopped to go back home. It slinked off, bringing some relief. Mido let out a cry of pain.

He was swinging his fist at two of them while the third bit his sword arm. The nereids cackled and swiped at his legs as if they were toying with him, and made him fall. Jessie telepathically commanded the biter to leave. It removed its teeth and joined its departing comrade. Mido fought off the other two with fist and sword. Jessie charged in and threw off one, then executed a five-punch combo to the other. It flopped lifelessly on top of Mido. He pushed it off and sat upright, wincing. His forearm was bleeding from a semi-circle of bite marks, as was his shoulder.

Jessie commanded the last one to leave, then helped Mido to his feet. His face was all scratched up. Her heart wrenched at the accumulation of injuries. “I’m so sorry, Mido.”

He took one of her hands and kissed it. “What went wrong? Only one of them stopped.”

The sight of one stopping and the others pushing her aside replayed in her head. “I’m not sure. Only one seemed to hear me, but they all should’ve. This has never been a problem before.”

“Amphitrite must be damping your powers or something. I think we need a new plan.” He inspected the bites on his arm.

“Run and hide?”

“Maybe. Let’s not give up too quick.” He wiped blood on his pants, then tugged her into motion and they headed inland, passing one flattened building after another. The bulk of the monsters had already worked deeper inland.

Very few bodies littered the ground, which gave Jessie hope. At the same time, it felt like she was walking through Paphos all over again, but with fires still burning, fewer corpses lying around, and the attackers still present and causing destruction. Among the attackers were water serpents. What if...? “Mido, I have a terrible idea.”

“Might be better than no idea at this rate.”

“I need you to protect me again.”

“I will.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

They wended their way into a loosely packed neighborhood. Jessie pulled up by a pile of concrete with gurneys and other medical equipment sticking out. They must be looking at a hospital. Jessie’s heart wrenched at the thought of so many innocent patients and doctors who must’ve died. Tears welled in her eyes. She blocked out the sight and the cries of pain reaching out from the debris. Other stable people were already digging them out.

“We should help them,” Mido said.

“Not yet.” They took cover next to a building with its first floor still standing. No sooner had she braced a hand against the wall, they heard a deep, throaty hiss overhead.

A water serpent.

The monster opened its mouth and lunged towards them, and next thing Jessie knew she was lying facedown in the dirt with Mido on top of her, a hand holding her head down. She winced as Mido grunted and his body jolted as debris fell on top of and around them. The jolts passed onto her through him, making her body ache. The serpent’s nose speared the ground right in front of their heads, dousing them with foul breath, and then the sky brightened as the monster lifted its head back in the air.

Jessie held still in case the thing might attack at the slightest movement. The seconds ticked by, and then the sound of something huge slithering around grew fainter. She struggled to get up but Mido and whatever had fallen on top of them was pinning her down. She patted his arm. “Mido, get up. We need to move.” He let out a groan. Jessie froze and her heart jumped into her throat and lodged itself there. “Mido?”

“I’m alive,” he whispered. “Can’t move.”

Jessie struggled and squirmed, and clawed at the dirt. She was pinned from the chest down by Mido and--she looked over his shoulder--half a wall. She dug her fingers into the churned-up dirt and pulled as hard as she could. After a few seconds of straining, she finally budged. She readjusted her handhold and pulled again, bringing her waist even with Mido’s chest. He groaned, making her heart race with mounting panic. She heaved her body one more time, freeing her legs, and turned around. She took in a sharp breath.

Mido remained lying facedown, a metal rod sticking out of his right shoulder with a chunk of cement still attached to it. She automatically reached for it, then remembered the wound would start gushing if she pulled it out. Instead, she moved to the cracked slabs pinning his legs, and tried to bodily lift them. She managed to heave one off, but had to use a two-by-four to lever off the other. Mido remained inert the whole time. “Stay with me, Mido.”

“I am,” he whispered. “I think both my legs are broken.”

Jessie wanted to roll him onto his back but feared causing more injuries. She lay with the side of her face in the dirt in front of his, then held Mido’s face and gently lifted it. His eyes were glazed over. “Stay with me,” she said in a thick voice. He put a hand over hers, tried to raise his head a little more, then passed out. “Mido?” He didn’t stir, so she patted his cheek. Her voice rose an octave as she called his name again. He still didn’t stir. “Mido!” Her eyes blurred with tears and she began to hyperventilate. This couldn’t have just happened. He’d been more or less fine a moment ago, but now he was--

Jessie wiped her eyes and checked for a pulse. She couldn’t afford to jump to such morbid conclusions so fast. She wanted to scream and give in to hysteria, but she couldn’t help him if she lost it. She felt a pulse in his wrist, then slipped a hand under his chest. His heart pounded out a steady rhythm. The beating brought her breathing under control, yet tears still kept coming. She held his hand and pushed away dirt so he’d have plenty of air to breathe, then fought to bring her emotions under control. If more monsters returned, she had to be collected enough to protect the both of them. She... the sight of his glazed-over eyes... her heart wrenched again. She squeezed his limp hand and forced herself to take deep breaths.

Rumbling in the distance snapped her to out of being able to worry. She flinched at the sound, then wiped her eyes and looked up. Another water serpent loomed over a pile of rubble a block away. Jessie flung her mind out to it without hesitation.
Stop what you’re doing and listen to me!

The serpent paused in its attack on a building, then turned around. No words came from it but Jessie knew she had its full attention. It slithered down the road towards her, head low and bobbing side to side. The sight was frightening but she knew she wasn’t about to be attacked. She could feel curiosity coming from it. It wanted to know what her bidding was. It sent her a picture of the destruction it just caused and sent her an emotion of questioning. It stopped with its massive head mere feet above her, head bowed, black watery eyes on her.