Two Different Worlds (Re-Write) - A Hermitcraft Mermaid AU

Chapter 15 - Dangerous Strangers

Hels wasn't sure where he was.

He couldn't remember how he'd gotten to this new place, he didn't remember what had happened before then, and he certainly didn't remember how he ended up soaking wet with both water and blood.

The place felt vaguely familiar, but in a bad way. Almost ominous. His entire body was sore and cold as he slowly walked past strangers, who either ignored or didn't see him. He didn't know where he was going, or what was happening. And he didn't like it.

Being around so many people was making him nervous, and he wasn't sure if he should turn and go back to wherever he came from. But even if he couldn't remember where that was, the idea sounded worse than his current situation.

Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder, and he turned around with a gasp. He was met with the eyes... or rather the eye... of a tall human with dark hair. Bandages covered the right of his face, and his left arm was made out of metal.

"Hey, are you ok?" The stranger asked, but Hels was too scared to speak. "Are you hurt? Do you need help?"

A woman with messy red hair then approached them, concern immediately clouding her bright green eyes.

"Oh gosh, what happened to him?" She gasped. "We should get Impulse, that looks bad."

The young merman was still too stunned to reply as the man grabbed his hand and lead him toward a dock and onto a small ship. He wasn't sure who these people were, and he still couldn't remember where he was.

Brief images were flashing through his mind, of other merpeople grabbing him and pulling him away from someone... a blond boy, passed out and with fatal injuries to his chest. He knew him... his brother... Wels.

And suddenly it all clicked in his head. Wels was dead, and the people holding his hand were Doc and Cleo... this was all just another horrible dream.

Hels opened his eyes, which were full of tears. He always hated dreaming of the day his twin was killed. Each time hurt just as bad as the last, and almost as badly as when it actually happened.

He wiped the tears away quickly, before noticing the horrible headache he had. Heck, his whole body felt sore, and he was even struggling to breathe properly.

With a groan, he pulled the blanket back over himself. He hated these days, when his body decided he'd been human for too long and decided to give him a hard time over it. Usually he could wait it out for a few hours and it'd go away, but this was worse than usual.

Grian, who'd also just woken up, poked his head down from the bed above his and frowned a little.

"You alright Hels?" He asked sleepily. "You don't look too good."

"M' fine." He mumbled, despite feeling quite the opposite.

Grian was too tired to think about his answer much, and simply shrugged before climbing back into his bed and falling asleep again. All the others were still sleeping, so the merman took the opportunity to sneak off the ship and try to clear his head.

Staring at his reflection in the water, Hels groaned loudly. Why did this have to suck so much? His whole body hurt, it felt like someone was holding a pillow over his mouth and nose, and the lack of breath was making him dizzy.

Obviously transforming would resolve the issue, but he couldn't do that. Well, he could, but he'd sworn to never do it again. That was how Wels died, and he didn't want to make that mistake twice.