Dark Water (A Dark Life Fanfiction) [edited]

Chapter 7

When the silt and stray pieces of kelp settled, I could see Ty's crown lights go on. A pit formed in my stomach. He wasn't where I thought he was. Escaping bubbles marked where the wreckage of the Peavey's home as it collapsed into the ooze. Ty hugged Hewitt's manta board, obviously angry. I slowly swam toward him, cautious of the shadow that I had seen in the kelp. Touching his shoulder, I signed that we should try to get the power back on before bigger predators came. Dolphins were no problem but there were definitely bigger fish in the sea. I motioned to the power cable that lead out to the generator that was in a shed hidden away in the kelp field. I suddenly stopped. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move. Ty cut the manta's motor and slipped down to the sea floor.

As Ty clipped the tether to his belt, he drew out the electric prod that strangely enough was designed to work under water. I un-holstered my mini harpoon gun, moving forward. I felt the water current on my face as Ty motioned for me to stay near him. I shrugged at him, walking further forward. I couldn't see passed the kelp. Whatever it was, it had picked up speed, plowing toward me. Ty jumped backwards in a panic. He was now in the open, exposed. I glimpsed something large hovering over me. Before I could grasp what it was, the farm exploded with light. A blinding light that forced me to shield my eyes.

The power was back on!

Blinking, I tried to get my eyes to adjust quicker o the sun lamps. Parting my fingers, I stared in horror. A corpse towered over me, still in its dive skin. I could feel Ty kick back a few more feet, revolted. I, on the other hand, drew closer. It doesn't seem very bloated to me. It was very muscular. Inside the dead man's helmet, his pallid hairless head gleamed. His skin was whiter than white, almost translucent. His eyes were black; entirely black, including the irises and whites. The eyes were like gaping holes into the deepest trench. I studied his face, curiously, unable to look away. With my face a mere inch away from the helmet, I blew a light stream of water at it, seeing how it moved in response to currents. It didn't move at all.

Looking at it up and down, I slowly moved my hand up to the helmet. Touching the cool flexiglass, I blinked seeing a few bubbles drifting lazily across the inside of the helmet. My eyes slowly made their way back to its jet black eyes that seemed to stare lifelessly back at me. A soft glimmer flashed across them as if they had change color for a split second. It had been a beautiful purplish blue. Unconsciously, I dazed, a small smile playing across my lips. A cool feeling of calm washed over me. I could feel every drop of water around me move. There wasn't a single fish in sight. Only a vast span of water surrounded us.

I didn't even notice the corpse looming closer to me. A soft current flowed against my back, bringing me back to the ocean. I looked up at the corpse once again seeing the facial expression had changed ever so slightly. A smile had formed upon its lips.

A sudden wave of cold understanding washed over me. I wasn't face to face with a corpse. The tight grip it had on my wrist made that clear. No, the horrifying creature in front of me was Shade, the leader of the Seablite Gang. And he was very much alive.

My stomach flipped as I stared into his black eyes. Ty jerked backwards, leaving me. I instinctively pulled at my wrist. Suddenly, I bit his hand. Swimming backwards after he had let go, I kept him in my sight. The outlaw didn't follow. Head tilted, he seemed to be assessing whether I'd be worth the trouble. The image of his sightless eyes sent chills down my spine.

No, not sightless. Shade wasn't blind. I'd expect that they were dark lenses but something was off about that theory. I could see a gleam in them that made my skin crawl.

I glanced up seeing Ty circling on the manta board. When I looked back at Shade, I blinked. He was plowing through the kelp, escaping. Without thinking, I ran after him. Shade plowed toward the edge of the field. The bubble fence, marking the end of the Peavey's property, lay beyond the fields.

The end of the continental shelf was another mile east. It was quite the drop off. In some places, their shelf slopped down into the abyssal plain. This edge was a rocky sea cliff that plummeted into the darkness. Plenty of sea caves cluttered the face of the cliff. Maybe one of them was where the outlaws hid the Specter, their rig.

As I stumbled from the field, I saw him step through the bubble fence. I noticed the harpoon gun strapped to his back. It was the same size as the one my Pa had at home. I sure wish I had it instead of my mini harpoon gun, considering it wasn't going to do much against Shade. My parents weren't going to like my plan, but they weren't here. As adrenaline made my heart race, I jumped through the bubble fence. On the other side, the sea was a brilliant cobalt blue and was featureless. In the distance, I could make out the faint glow of crown lights.

I trailed Shade until the glow vanished like a snuffed out fire. Stopping in my tracks, I looked up at Ty who had his headlights trained on me dimly. Suddenly light blasted me. Shade stood not too far away, boots planted wide on the sea floor, crown lights on bright. He was holding that jumbo-sized harpoon launcher. His eyes trained on me, lifting it and taking aim.

I stared wide-eyed in horror. Suddenly, he reaimed, shooting the harpoon at Ty. It smashed into the bottom of the manta board, nearly throwing Ty from it. Staring up at Ty, I could make out a faint shape. It looked as though he was trying to make an escape but the manta board seemed to sputter before dying. The harpoon jutted from the manta's underside, wobbling in the water's drag. Ty hadn't noticed the chain that the spear was attached to it. Shade put one hand over the other, drawing in his catch, looking as if he were a reanimated corpse, bloodless and black-eyed.

Taking aim with my mini harpoon gun, I shot it at Shade's hands. It bounced off the chain but it did its purpose. Shade released the chain as Ty kicked off the manta board swimming away. I stared at Shade, feeling as though I should be making my escape as well. When I tried to move, I realized my boot was stuck in the mud. He stepped forward as if he'd lunge at me, making me flinch, falling backwards into the mud. He seemingly chuckled, smirking at me, before disappearing into the midnight blue water. Tiny bubbles escaped my lips as I stared after him. A feeling of uneasiness stirred in my stomach. Dread washed over me, intensifying the uneasiness.

Suddenly it dawned on me that I should probably meet up with Ty at his house or try to make it home before my parents got home. I pulled myself from the muck, swimming toward Ty's house. I decided to follow the current that he had felt. He came out with a spare helmet, sealing it over my head. I drained the water after I pulled myself through the moon pool. Into the critical gaze of my mother.

"Hi mum," I said softly, recognising the look of disapproval, not concern of relief that feel upon me.

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Thanks for reading. When I had first written this in a notebook it was about four pages long, so this is probably not that long. If you have any ideas on how to extend this part please let me know.  

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