Mermaids and Vampires

37: A Visitor

~~~~DYLAN~~~~

Treading water on the surface, I stare into the dark grey sky and let my body relax. My breaths are deep and tired. 

How will I ever find her? In an entire ocean? She could be anywhere.

I hear a splash behind me.

My heart jumps in fear. This could either be really good, or horribly bad. It might be her. Or a shark. Or maybe just the waves playing tricks on my fried brain. I spin around searching for the source of the sound. There is nothing to see. At least not on the surface.

Holding my breath I tuck my head beneath the waves and peer into the dark water. It's empty as well, apart from a few small fish.

I pop up again and wait.

The sound comes again, behind me.

I spin but I'm too late to see what's stocking me. I get a spine chilling feeling.

Then in front of me, just a few meters away, a woman appears out of the water. Her long black hair flows over her bare shoulders and she stares at me with a blank look on her pretty face.

She is older than I am, perhaps in her late thirties. 

We remain still for a moment, observing each other in.

Soon her face changes. She looks angered and indignant.

"You need to leave." Her harsh voice states.

"Why? I don't understand."

She dips underwater and reappears closer.

"Who are you?" I ask.     

She bears her teeth. Rows of viscous fangs and she plows towards me with incredible speed.  

I barely have time to react. Instinctively I dive and swim down and away.

I've lost sight of her. Spinning around, searching my field of view, I suddenly catch sight of her coming towards me. She chases me up out of the water. As I break the surface I breath and then swim for the shoreline as fast as I possibly can. She remains a constant in my peripherals.

It seems she could catch up with me if she wanted to. She's obviously much faster in the water. But I reach the shore and clamber onto the sand breathing heavily without being touched. If she'd wanted to hurt me she could have. She just wanted me gone.

I don't understand it.

But I'm far too tired to think about it.

I just flop down on the sand and let my jiggly muscles relax.

I watch the water's surface but don't see her again.