Braving The Storm

11 - Coastal Crisis

I woke up in Orm's embrace. It was stimulating in a way I never knew before. I wanted to lay there til the end of time.

When he was fast asleep, he looked peaceful. The stubble around his face was turning into a small bush, and I mentally reminded myself to remind him to shave. I was certain he knew how to do that bit.

On instinct, my fingers found his chin and he instantly stirred.

Before he could speak, I kissed him, going over it repeatedly. The moment felt serene. He twined his fingers in mine and kissed me back.

“I have to feed Supe.” I whispered. In truth, I was going to explode if I didn't take a break. He was overwhelming.

He tugged lightly at my shirt, staring with a smile in his eyes. “Don't take too long.”

I chuckled and left him there to bring dog food from the pantry. Supe bounded after me, going in and out between my legs. He must've been starving. I emptied the food into a bowl and scratched his back as he dug in hungrily.

“If you could talk, you'd call me out for feeding you this late.” I muttered.

His head lifted and he licked his mouth.

“You like Orm?” I whispered with a little smile. “That's why you didn't try to chew my socks?”

He barked once, startling me.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed. “Is that a yes or a—”

Another bark and then rapid fire.

I stood up and rushed out of the kitchen. Halfway to the door, a kind of powerful force field suddenly knocked me back, and I crashed into the counter. My poor bones!

Supe was affected as well, rousing himself from where he had connected with the sink and burst a few pipes. Water was leaking out with the speed of light. I touched my ear and felt blood.

The sound of grunts and things crashing noisily alerted me to intruders in the living room. I made to rise and spotted that gigantic predator thing again, drawing closer to the doorway. It looked like a skeleton made out of mud, dressed in rags.

It would've attacked me right there if the presence of flowing water and Supe's harsh barking had not distracted it long enough for Orm to kick its legs out from under it. It fell with a deafening crack.

“Lock yourself up, Mary.” Orm ordered.

Without a word, I dashed out of the kitchen with Supe in tow. But at the entrance to the hallway, something bashed against my head.

The ceiling tunneled as I fell and everything went dark.

I sat up with a wince and my legs entered autopilot mode, staggering for the door. My house was ruined beyond recognition. A huge portion of the wall was gone. Hey, guess whose demolition crew wouldn't have to work so hard now?

Outside, I found Supe in Olivia's arms. I didn't think she would be back so soon.

“Christ, Rosy!” She exclaimed with eyes wide. “What the hell happened in there?”

I grabbed my hair. My temple was on fire and my forehead was sore. “Watch Supe for me. I'll be right back.”

“Tell me what happened to you first.” She bounded after me. “Your house freaking exploded. You look like you took a bullet to the head.”

I halted a cab and reached for the door, still disoriented. “I think it was the gun.”

By the time I arrived at the cabin, I was a lot less dazed. The sight of Orm's house sent chills of familiarity darting up and down my back. Everything looked in place.

“Orm!” I yelled, pushing the door open. I scoured the house from start to finish, but he wasn't there.

Retreating outside, I climbed over the rocks on the beach,until I stood on the last one. Cold seawater soaked my bare feet. From that height, I glimpsed a strange object in the far distance dunking whole into the water. It looked like a ship. An Atlantean ship.

My breath turned icy cold. They'd taken him.

“No!” I screamed into the horizon.

I scrambled back into the house, unsure of what I was searching for. I found his telephone and a small book next to it with just two phone numbers written down. One said Mary-Rose and the other said Curry Lighthouse.

Without wasting a second, I dialled the lighthouse. A masculine voice responded the very next.

“Hello.” The man sounded tired.

My voice was unsteady, and urgent, and scratchy from crying, but I didn't care. “I'd like to speak with Arthur Curry.”

The line went dead for a moment.

“I'm Arthur. You good, miss?”

I was literally sobbing into the phone. “It's Orm. They took him. The Fishermen found him.”

“What?!” He sounded shocked one second then uncertain. “Wait, who's this?”

I paused. Who the hell was I?

“My name is Mary-Rose. I-I'm a good friend.”

Arthur grunted from the other end.

I stood by the sea, awaiting Aquaman. I'd expected him to jump right out of the water in a dramatic superhero entrance type thing, instead a rusty truck pulled into the gravel, and a burly man with long brown hair and gold highlights got out. He wore a simple furry jacket with nothing underneath, allowing me spy tattoos across his skin.

From the other side – my breath hitched – a lady slipped clean out of the passenger seat. She was dressed in a nice top and black jeans. Her hair was curly and waist length, and shockingly the same shade of blonde as Orm's – but hers was lighter, almost platinum. I instantly knew she was Queen Atlanna.

Instinctively, I bowed. “Your Majesty.”

She shared a look with the burly man. “You know who I am?”

I nodded. “Your. . . son mentioned you.”

Her eyes filled with slight amusement and a hint of joy. “Orm?”

I nodded again.

“You called us.” The man, Arthur, interrupted. I bowed to him too. He was basically a King.

“Yes.”

I narrated everything to them. Even when I stopped talking, the Queen's curious gaze stayed on me. It was obvious that Orm inherited everything from her. She was beautifully tall and gorgeous in a way that struck like lightning.

“You're certain those people were the Fishermen?” She questioned.

I described how they looked.

“Deserters, ugh!” Aquaman exclaimed. “I hate those assholes. How'd they even make it all the way to the Bay?” He looked at me. “Thank you for informing us quickly. We'll take over from here.”

Atlanna strolled up to me, and I felt like a footstool. She grabbed my arms in a motherly fashion, staring into my eyes. Her lips upturned in a smile. “Thank you.”

I nodded. Though I got the feeling that she was thanking me for a different reason than a distress call.

“I suggest you remain in the cabin,” She looked to Arthur and the cabin. “where it is safe. My soldiers will keep watch over this place to make sure you're not ambushed.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I lowered my head.

She smirked and returned to the car. Arthur drove them off, leaving me all by myself. I hugged my arms, trying to shield from the cold, tears stinging my eyes.

Would they find Orm again? If they did, would it be too late? The Fishermen might've already sent him back to prison by now.

The thought of never setting eyes on him again stung so bad that my chest began to ache. I dragged heavy feet into the cabin and sat down.

Then I remembered Joaquín's demolition plan. It was only hours away.

I checked the time, rose tiredly and marched out of the cabin.