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

Chapter 19 - Quite Unexpected

TW: Kidnapping, Claustrophobia, Minor Violence, Mentions of Death

(It sounds worse than it actually is I promise-)

Xisuma was unable to move, frozen in shock and horror. The last few seconds were playing over and over in his head, trying to make him accept what just happened. Just when he thought he'd kept Scar safe, his worst nightmare had just come true in front of his own eyes.

But instead of stalling, he immediately swam back home to try and find help. He could only imagine what they could do to Scar if he couldn't get him back in time, and horrible memories of his own trauma flashed through his brain like jumpscares.

Ezra looked almost relieved when he saw his brother, but the panic on Xisuma's face (and Scar still being absent) concerned him.

"Is everything ok? You haven't lost him have y-"

"The pirates took him!" X blurted, pointing out at the second ship. He could see them raising the anchor in the distance, which only made him worry more. Ezra's face switched from concern to shock, but quickly switched to determination.

"I'll round up the others, you go find Grian." He decided.

"Wh- Grian?!"

"YES! I'm more than certain that he'd help us, and if we want to catch up to them we're gonna need his whole crew's assistance."

"But I just yelled at him 5 minutes ago!" Xisuma insisted. "And besides, how do we know if we can trust his crew?"

"Because I trust Scar, Scar trusts Grian, and Grian trusts his own friends. Besides, I think you owe him an apology anyway."

X didn't have the time to argue, and even if he did, Ezra was already gone. So with a sigh, he decided to trust Scar too.

"The things I do when I'm desperate..."

Scar slowly opened his eyes, trying to remember where he was. For a moment he was relieved, thinking everything had been a horrible dream and he was safe at home with BDubs, but when his elbow suddenly hit against a glass wall he began to doubt that.

Heart pounding in fear, Scar pressed his hands against the glass encasing him. Wherever he was, it was similar to the glances of Grian's ship he'd gotten through portholes. Then it struck him. He was trapped on the other ship.

Panic (and claustrophobia) hitting him like a train, he slammed his fists against the glass cage, desperate to try and escape. He threw his whole body against the walls around him, but it was no use. Whoever had made it was taking their job seriously.

Yet he hit and slammed and pounded the glass until his entire body was sore, and he was forced to give up. He could hear voices in the distance, an angry woman shouting at someone, but he ignored them, curling up in the tiny tank and only wondering about what could happen to him.

And then he heard a small tap on the glass, and glanced over to see the same person that pulled him onto the boat. The merman could see the guilt on his face, but he tried his best to smile at Scar anyway.

"Hey... are you ok in there?"

Scar didn't want to say anything, but scowled. He was pushed into a tank smaller than he was, forced to lie on his side with his tail tucked in close to him. He was definitely not ok.

"I'm really sorry." He continued. "I really don't want to do this to you. I know it's scary, but I promise we aren't gonna hurt you. My name's Jimmy by the way."