Braving The Storm

9 - The Fishermen

The sound and chill of whooshing wind roused me. Somewhere in the middle of the night my blanket had rolled off. Thank goodness I'd fallen asleep with socks on.

Supe was fast asleep in front of me. The lights were off and the room was quiet, but something felt out of place. I knew that every window was shut yet a constant stream of cold breeze came from nowhere and made me wonder if one had been left open.

I rose as quietly as possible, but my husky detected movement and woke up.

“I'll be right back, bud.” I assured, striding into the living room. It felt unnaturally cool.

“Orm?” I whispered. I couldn't tell the time, yet I guessed it was sometime before dawn. I zigzagged into his bedroom and knocked softly. “Orm?” Pushing the door open with caution, I expected to find him asleep.

My nerves frayed. The room was empty.

I hurried out as quietly as I could to check the kitchen. Empty as well.

On my way back into the little room I'd been sleeping in, I noticed that the front door was left slightly ajar in an unnoticeable way. That was how cold wind streamed through into the house.

I inched onward, hoping to find Orm there. Yanking the door wider, I found no one.

“Where's he gone?” I muttered and shut the door when I felt a rupturing shiver course through my entire system.

It was summer. The weather only felt chilly because the cabin stood next to the sea thus a crippling cold before 6 o'clock in the morning was far from strange. Yet it felt strange to me.

Where could Orm have gone at such an hour? Why did he leave without telling me?

My thoughts veered to Atlantis. Perhaps he went back – for an important reason. I tried to make sense of his sudden departure in order to calm myself. It didn't work. I sensed it strongly. Something was wrong.

But I could do no more than sit and await his return. I curled into the spot he'd sat on the previous night, breathing in his scent that still hung about the couch as if I were a freaking drunk. I missed him.

When my eyes flew open, Supe was staring at me with judgemental eyes. The attitude on that dog!

“Not my fault.” I muttered, burying my nose into the soft cushion.

I sat up and clutched the armrest. “Do you think he's alright, Supe?”

My dog lowered his head then suddenly perked up again and began to bark. I stood up immediately and looked to the doorway, where a looming silhouette hovered. It wasn't shaped like a human being. My blood froze at the sight of it, and I backed up with Supe still barking aloud.

The threat lifted something like a gun, but before it could do any damage, it was forcefully knocked forward from behind. I screamed my lungs out. Then, its attacker dragged it out. I heard a few powerful thuds and then dead silence.

Another figure appeared in the doorway and I screamed in fear, but it was only Orm. I rushed to stand up from where I'd crumpled and approached him.

“What was that?”

He took my arms and walked further out. His tone was urgent. “The Fishermen have found me. You have to leave.”

“What?” I couldn't believe it.

“If you stay here, you're bound to get hurt worse than I will be. Leave, now!”

“Wha. . . But I don't understand.”

“I don't either,” He looked alarmed, perhaps for my sake, yet far from afraid. “But word might've spread. The Fishermen have a treaty with The Deserters.”

“Deserters?”

“They held me prisoner for a few years. They're bestial and murderous, believe me you do not want to meet them. I think someone might've tipped them off about a sighting or a thing of the sort concerning my whereabouts. It could've been anyone – Xebel, Brine, even Atlantis itself. I believe there are those who resent me still for my past wrongdoings.”

I didn't understand a damn word, but I did get that he was being hunted. “Let me help.”

“No.” He snapped, startling me. If he noticed, he didn't show much concern. “You can't do anything about it. If they come for me, they'll eliminate whoever tries to stop them.”

I tried not to look at the dead silhouette on the ground. It was large, like that thing called the Predator from the movies.

“Humans are weak,” He went on. “Weaker than most Atlanteans.” I felt insulted, but his tone immediately softened. “I might've wanted to hurt them in the past, but I don't wish for that to happen now.”

I stared at him. He was such a puzzle.

“If anything should happen to you, it would be my fault. So. . . please take your dog and leave.”

I felt hurt, deeply hurt. I was being kicked out; though for a good reason, it still managed to make me feel unwanted. My eyes scanned him for external injuries and found none. I did notice that he looked breathless the first time and some parts of him was wet, like he'd come out of the water only moments ago.

A protest would've naturally come out of me, but he was damn right. What could I do against alien underwater super beings when they came with their huge guns and strange knives? I couldn't even defend myself against a fellow human being. Facing off any Atlantean was out of the question.

Surrendering to common sense, I nodded in agreement. “Okay. I'll leave.”

“I hope you understand, Mary-Rose.” Orm said. For a fleeting second, he looked helpless.

I went over and gave him a hug. “I do.”

To my surprise, his arms went around my back and tightened. I pecked him on the cheek, staining my lips with salt and offered a smile then turned to Supe.

“Come on, boy.” I urged.

“Mary-Rose?”

I turned and Orm held up a sweater which he threw to me. “It's cold outside.”

Finding a cab so early was difficult especially in such remote areas of town so Supe and I walked a good distance before we could get one. The closer I got to my home, the emptier I felt. It felt like something inside me had been yanked out by force, leaving a hollow, pained space behind that thrummed constantly.

I placed a hand on my chest as I shut the door behind Supe. I was afraid, and I didn't want to admit why. It would hurt me worse than this.

My phone suddenly rang from somewhere around the TV area. I hadn't even realized I left it at home.

I picked up in a hurry and was snapped back into reality at the sight of the name on the scream.

“Hello, Mr Milton.”

“Ms Philips, we would like to see you, please.”