Depths of Despair

Part 4

                                                 Chapter 4: Reunion 

Vanora's body tightened as she was pulled closer and closer to the ocean floor. The water went from chilly to icy-cold. As she was pulled deeper, the water went from a light, warm blue, to a dark, chilly blue. Suddenly, a giant cave rose up in front of her like a leering monster ready to swallow her with its gaping maw. Guarding the mouth of the cave were two spider crabs the size of school busses. As she was pulled into the cave, the monstrous crabs clacked there pincers together excitedly. They stared after her with their beady red eyes, clawing the ground with their stilt-like legs. Vanora closed her eyes until she had passed into the shadowy cave. A few moments later, the water grew so dark that Vanora couldn't see anything. She stiffened as something brushed against her leg. It was prickly and squishy. Vanora couldn't help herself. She cried out, "What is that?" Her terrified voice bounced off the walls, echoing loudly. Almost immediately, she felt the tentacle around her waist cinch tighter and then yank her upwards. Her body broke the surface at the speed of a bullet. The tentacle released her and she was flying through the air. Then her body slammed into something hard and she was knocked unconscious.

Someone was sponging her head with a cool cloth. Vanora weakly touched the side of her head and felt a trickle of sticky warm blood drip onto her finger. She opened her eyes and groaned as the headache hit her sharply, a wave of pain crashing down onto her.

"Just lay down and relax, Vanora," said a gentle voice, "Everything is going to be okay."

Vanora sat bolt upright, ignoring the pain that shot through her head like a drill. The voice was one she had not heard for a year. A voice she had thought that she would never hear again. "DAD!" she cried. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed her heart out. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was too," her father said, hugging her close. He looked almost exactly the way he had on that horrible day, except now his skin was white and pasty and his eyes looked as though all the joy and hope had been driven out of them.

"What happened that day Dad?" Vanora asked, looking intently into her father's eyes, afraid that if she blinked, her dad would disappear... again.

"I'm not really sure. After I pushed you to the surface, I wasn't able to hold my breath any longer."

"Did you pass out?"

"Not right away. A second before I passed out, a beautiful woman swam toward me."

"Who was it?"

"Your mother... Kristin."

"Mom was... Did she say anything?"

"Yes she did. She said, 'Vanora is safe with me, Brian. Don't despair."

"Then what happened?"

"She faded and in her place was a silver colored seal. Then I passed out."

"A-and then?" asked Vanora, gripping her father's arm tightly.

"When I woke, I was entering the cave. The strangest part about it was that I was able to breathe."

Vanora gasped, "Did you have a bubble around your face?"

"I don't remember Vanora. I was delirious. I probably didn't even see your mother... or the seal."

"No! You did see them! At least, I know you saw the seal because the same thing happened to me." Vanora said excitedly.

"Sorry to break up this touching reunion, but It requests Vanora's presence." Interrupted a horribly familiar voice.

Her father put a protective arm around Vanora's shoulders, "She isn't going anywhere with you, Daniel," her father answered, glaring.

"Oh no?" asked Daniel mockingly. "And just what are you going to do to stop me? You are bound to the wall with hardly a foot or two of chain."

"So you're the slave of this animal? Vanora asked mockingly. "Isn't that a little beneath you?"

"It promised to take care of a few problems for me if I delivered him his yearly sacrifice."

"What did he offer you?" asked Vanora.

Daniel chuckled. "Well for one thing," said Daniel smugly, "he promised to get your dear father out of the way."

Vanora clenched her fingers into tight fists. "You... you, BEAST!" She spat out. "How could you be so sick as to break up a happy family?"

"Easy. With your father out of the way, your mother was single again," he sneered. "Free game."

At these words, Brian leapt to his feet and swung his fist at Daniel's head. Daniel laughed and calmly stepped back. "Careful Brian. The more you cooperate, the less pain your family will have to go through."

"And," Vanora was afraid to ask, "what is the yearly sacrifice?"

"DON'T TELL HER!" Brian shouted.

"What is your end of the bargain?" Vanora asked.

Her father turned to Daniel, his eyes pleading. "I won't allow it. It can have me instead. PLEASE! Spare her, she is only a child."

"Hmmmm..." Daniel said, pretending like he was about to make a difficult decision, "tempting because it is your fault Kristin and I didn't get married, but no. It requires a female girl that is still in her youth. A virgin."

"Why does that involve me?" Vanora asked timidly.

"Because my dear girl," said Daniel, grinning triumphantly, "you are the girl. The girl that is to be fed to It."

"NO!" screamed Vanora. Daniel reached down, shoved her father out of the way. "Time for you to meet It face to face." He grabbed Vanora by the hair and began dragging her away.

"Dad! Don't let him take me away! Help me, Dad!"

Daniel suddenly reached down and pressed hard on her neck. A wave of dizziness hit Vanora and she tried to move his hand. He pressed harder. Then everything went black.