Thirty Nine Minutes (COMPLETE)

Chapter Twenty Five: Parallels

Neil heard the churning of the water first. A frothing as hands and tails slapped the surface in panic. He grit his teeth as the screaming followed shortly after. The sound of fear was universal, be they from humans or creatures, or people with tails instead of legs.

"I only want the young ones. No older than five." David was peering down over the side of the boat as Neil looked on. They hadn't gagged him, but they didn't need to. All the fire had been extinguished in Neil's belly, and his head hung low on his chest. Everything about him was heavy and fatigued. The children crying as David began the process of separating them from their parents was the last straw, and Neil scrunched his eyes shut. That did little to quell the mewling.

"That one there, I think. I want as many as possible."

"Jesus, David: try and show a sliver of humanity at least," Neil grunted through his clenched teeth.

David, looking over from his position, walked over to his former employee, and with a flick of the pocket knife he had in his hand, he released Neil but kept his hands tied behind his back. "You were always such a terrible worker, Mr. Cole. Lazy, vain, incompetent. Not suited for life on land given your past on old, rickety boats like this." He turned to Fleur, forgetting the years of training he'd put Neil through. Neil had already untied his hands minutes ago.

"Conversely, you were a fantastic teacher. You got rusty though." He pointed his newly acquired handgun at the pair of them. His mother looked on as David lifted his armpit to see his empty holster.

"What do you think you can accomplish here?" She asked.

"Shut up!" Just keep them talking. "I'm not gonna let you do this. This is beyond messed up! They're children!"

"That is not your concern, now put that gun down, son."

"No!" He trembled but remained steadfast. His mother sighed wearily.

"Boy, this is not the time for this."

"Stop talking to me like I'm a child! I've never felt like your child! Ever!"

Fleur's eyes remained in a state of detachment. Dispassionate emptiness returned Neil's desperate glare. "Is that what this is about? A belated childish rebellion?"

Neil squeezed the trigger.

*****

Helen's descent was inelegant, but with her fingers fast turning blue, Helen's options were disappearing before her eyes. Inch by inch she made way down back to the black waters, but they were not still and certainly not peaceful. She heard the sound of children screaming within the frothing water and it took all of her remaining energy not to cry at the sound of their terror. Keep pushing forward. Don't give up now, not when you're so close.

Her feet were blocks of lead, but still she climbed down the slippery rocks. Over and over again she wracked her brains, hoping for the inspiration people were supposed to get in a crisis.

Nothing. Not even bravado seemed viable. All she could think of was to head towards the water as carefully and subtly as she could manage. Her only comfort was that her teeth were still chattering violently, so she hadn't got hypothermia just yet. A comfort that would certainly change as soon as she reentered that water.

She was maybe seven feet from the water when she saw him. Or rather, she saw his glowing blur moving around like a bullet in the water. Craig. Her foot slipped.

Helen tumbled, bouncing off a sharp rock and feeling the definite snap of bone. Before she could react to the pain, the cold water claimed her, pushing the last of the air from her lungs.

Mediterranean waters were warm in the heat of the day, but at night they cooled and possessed the ability to chill bones to their core. To a soaked body like Helen's, hitting that water was like hurtling into a truck in the middle of a blizzard.

Five seconds passed. Ten seconds. Each one was an agonizing torture, ticking by in a void of bitter cold and inching closer to death. Helen shut her eyes, trying to forget the time as it stabbed her lungs and made them burn. Her legs stilled, as did her arms. They were numb anyway; it was time to give up the struggle.

She thought of Craig. As she blew the last stream of bubbles from her nose, she had convinced herself that it had been a hallucination, since Craig would never swim over water that dark, that deep.

Warm, soft lips pressed against her own, filling her with life.

Craig. She didn't open her eyes in case she woke up, but an arm hooked around her back and ascended with her, the swoosh of a thick, powerful tail underneath her propelling them. His lips never left hers, his arms encircled her.

She was safe. For those few seconds, she was safe.

As the water broke, so did half of the illusion. Craig still held her, but the screaming of the children persisted and the waves she chopped and broke at the base of Fleur's boat. Some of the merfolk floated motionless on the surface, often held by another as they wailed in their grief. "Craig," she gasped. He grasped her tighter still. "Where did you go?"

"Not far, then...this happened." He looked over at the churning water. "What the hell is David doing?"

His glowing body was warming the numbness that penetrated her, reigniting her mind that had been so dulled by fatigue. "Craig, they'll see you."

"Neil's providing a perfect distraction."

"Neil? He's here?"

"Helen, listen." He turned to her, and she saw it. The fear she recognized from before, from the swimming pool. His iron grip on her made a lot more sense. "I can only swim with closed eyes for so long. Truth be told, I'm terrified. I need your help to save these people; I can't do this on my own."

Her body warmed more and more as Craig pressed against her. More than just physical warmth, it was an invigorating presence, like honey spreading through her veins.

Shattered by the gunshot echoing off the stone cliffs.