Seabound- the Beginnin

by Maira Dawn

  Every drop of energy spent; Sonora had no choice but to allow him to drag her through the water. The man wasn’t rough with her. He held Sonora's limp body with enough force to move her along, but not hard enough to hurt her.

  But when they reached a sizable underwater shelf, her fear intensified. Floating beside it was a water vehicle. It was somewhat like a motorcycle, dark-blue, with no wheels. Sonora threw a glance toward her beach. How far were they going? She vigorously shook her head.

  The man sat her on the bike. Sonora took advantage of the moment and reached up to put a hand on each side of his face, holding him. He immediately stared at her.

  Tears wavered, threatening to fall as Sonora shook her head over and over, pleading with the man. "No, no, no, no."

  He closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly saddened by her distress but simply signed, "You OK."

  Sonora dropped her hands and hung her head. Why did he keep saying she was OK when it was pretty clear she was not?

  When the man started to move away, she quickly took hold of his arm. But he continued, turning his attention elsewhere. Opening a compartment on the side of the bike, he pulled out a small container. He put it to his mouth and took a deep breath, swelling his chest.

  Sonora's eyebrows raised and her face lightened. He did breathe! Still weird it was rarely, but he breathed. She tapped the center of his chest. He nodded, smiled, and pointed from her air tanks to her, then the little container to himself. The man released the air he had taken in with a great stream of bubbles and took another breath from the small container.

  Sonora's gaze followed the little silver round case. How was it all these things existed, and she'd known nothing about them?

  Big Evil Man

  Chapter Eight

  When the man finished with the small canister, he handed it to Sonora and mounted the bike in front of her. Sonora turned the silver container over and over in her hands, inspecting it from all sides. There was one small button, which she pushed.

  It triggered a tiny oval opening and a great blast of air shot out of the container hitting Sonora in the face. She toppled off the back of the bike, spinning in the water like a weightless astronaut.

  The man grinned as he grasped her flailing hand and pulled her back to the bike's seat this time in front of him.

  Sonora had managed to keep a hold on the little breather during her tumble and reexamined it. She turned the almost microscopic opening away from herself and put her finger to the button again. The man's chest rumbled with amusement, and Sonora shot him a glance. He reached over and plucked the canister from her. Her hands followed his, but before she could grab it back, the man plopped it back into its compartment. Sonora frowned. He treated her like an errant child.

  The man pushed a lever on the controls, lighting them up and causing the bike to start. The vehicle built up speed, and the man glanced at her more than once as they glided through the water. It was a strange sensation, moving through the ocean so fast. Sonora turned her face from the water rushing at her and pushed back until the man's body blocked her from going any further. She shielded her face with one hand and held onto his thick forearm with the other.

  He slowed the bike a little, letting Sonora get used to the sensation. Once she was more comfortable, Sonora peeked out from behind her hand and looked around. They'd already gone so far. Her heart sank as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, she had to be far from the beach.

  There was nothing she could do about that. This man was determined to take her somewhere. Maybe she could figure out something about where. Sonora examined the gauges on the bike, tracing the lighted letters with her finger. They were similar to his tattoo, and nothing she recognized. They seemed like some mix of hieroglyphics and letters. Sonora had seen an alphabet a little like it once on a documentary about an ancient people.

  Who was this guy? He was off the Carolina Coast, for heaven's sake! Was he American? The signs they'd used were pretty universal. But he'd told her to stop in English.

  Sonora startled when the man tapped her shoulder and pointed to the seascape in front of them. Ahead she saw the dark water lit up by a few beams of sunlight scattered through it.

  Sonora glanced back at him. He nodded and motioned ahead.

  Sonora looked ahead and started to make out other shapes. Dolphins, a lot of them. Several groups of the mammals moved through the water. Sonora lightened as she watched them play, teasing each other.

  The nice-sized pod had at least fifty dolphins. Swimming alongside them, with their unique side-to-side motion, were just as many sharks. It was a myth that sharks and dolphins didn't swim in the same area but seeing such a massive mixture did seem unusual. A couple of grey dolphins broke off the main group, chirping as they came. One of them grabbed up a bit of floating seaweed as it came. The man slowed and stopped the vehicle.

  The dolphins raced straight for him, and the man gave each a rub down their side from head to tail for their efforts. The mammals warbled and whistled to themselves and to him. He smiled at them, his eyes bright. The man chirped to the dolphins so perfectly Sonora didn't realize it was him until she looked at him, and her eyes widened.

  The mammals turned their curious attention to her. Swimming back and forth a few times, they eyed her as they talked. She giggled when they bumped their noses to her and tentatively reached out to pet their smooth, shiny skin. One dolphin threw its seaweed to the man, and for a few minutes, a game of fetch ensued between the man and the animals. Eventually, he whistled, and they raced back to their pod.

  Sonora found the whole exchanged interesting. These weren't the first sea animals they had passed. The man hadn't stopped for the others. He knew these dolphins and treated them almost like pets.

  The man restarted his vehicle, and it seemed like they barely moved before he pointed again and said, "Look!"

  The booming, all-encompassing sound moved through the water and Sonora. She trembled and jumped off the bike. It took a moment for him to respond, it'd happened so quick. Once Sonora was away from him, she didn't stop. She swam hard, her arms digging through the water, legs kicking as quick as they could. There was nowhere for her to go, but she had to try.

  The two dolphins raced by her, stopping in front of her. When Sonora stopped and turned, she saw sharks patrolling behind her. A chill rushed through her. The friendly dolphins stared at her. There was no happy chatter now. They were as silent as the sharks they kept company with. Sonora had been wrong. These were not playmates, they were watchdogs.

  The man uttered a couple of sharp whistles, and the dolphins happily swam away as if it had all been part of the game. Even the sharks meandered off. The man grabbed the back of her air tank and swung her back to the seat in front of him.

  The ease with which he'd recaptured her was irritating, and she huffed. Air bubbles puffed out of her regulator into his face. She wished he was getting more than air bubbles. Sonora scowled at him, ignoring his rueful face as she pushed his hand away from hers. He was such a big, evil man. Oh wow, she needed to get better at insults. And he needed to stop talking to her underwater! It freaked her out.

  He ignored Sonora's annoyance and engaged the bike again. The dolphins and sharks started to follow them, and Sonora shrunk back against the man. Anger at herself flared. He wasn't her protector, he was her kidnapper. But as much as she wanted to think him evil, she somehow instinctively knew he was not.

  The man's arm came around her as he pointed ahead once again.

  In the distance, Sonora saw lights. Not just a few lights as if there were another underwater vehicle but hundreds. She saw hundreds of lights.

  Abominations

  Chapter Nine

  On land, a dark-haired man stood in the back of the truck, watching without emotion as the body awkwardly rolled from the truck bed, flopping onto the ground below. He jumped down, following the body out, giving it another hard kick with the toe of his boot to send it over the sharp edge of the cliff.

  T
he blackness of his clothing matched the darkness of the night. An ugly twist settled on his mouth as he wondered why he had bothered trying to be inconspicuous. Everyone in this town was so dense, he could have lined them up for the show, and they still wouldn't have known what was going on.

  He walked to the ledge and stood, looking down on the open ocean below, the bright moon now illuminating both him and the water. His face looked calm, though interested as he watched the body bounce against the rocky cliff here and there, disturbing the soil, where it hit.

  Small rocks and stones fell along with the body, some going ahead of it and some pelting it as they fell. At last, the body hit the water, making what seemed like a small splash from this great height. It took a moment to resurface, then immediately moved with the rhythm of the water as the tide made its way out to the deeper, darker ocean.

  The dark-haired man turned and closed the tailgate of the black truck, pulling on it once to make sure it was secure before he got in the driver's side. Once inside, he pulled at the rear-view mirror, aligning it so he could make sure his dark hair was still in place. It was windy along the sea today, and he didn't want to appear tousled when he arrived at home.

  Then he put the truck in gear and drove with care down the walking path. Though they had not made it for a vehicle, it was broad enough for one, and the man had always considered it the best way to dispose of the bodies.

  He would've liked more time with this one. After all this time, he was onto something that could help humankind. He shook his head. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find what he needed.

  The man's jaw tightened, and his lip curled. Abominations are what he called them, and he loathed them. His disgust for their kind ran deep, and he was sure any atrocities he committed against them were not only acceptable but also justified.

  After all, they weren't human; even they didn't deny that. If just one of them would admit what they really were… but no, they believed they were better, stronger, and smarter than men.

  His breath became raspy as his hands tightened in anger, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel as he recalled their arrogance. He'd worked his whole life to show them who the superior species was, and yet, they were moronic enough, they still didn't grasp the situation.

  How many bodies did it take?

  Each body was a message, a warning for the rest of their kind. A message that said, we are still here, and we are coming for you.

  He imagined them finding this one. By the time it reached them, he wondered how much would be left and if they would recognize who it was. He hoped so. He hoped the tattoo was still intact when it got there.

  His jaw was so tight, his teeth ground together. He wanted them to know.

  His emotions steadied as he drove onto the road and reached into his pocket for a list of groceries his wife gave him that morning. He held the note up and scanned it as he drove, recognizing the items as the ingredients in his favorite dinner, and his stomach growled as if eager for his first taste of it.

  His wife often did small things to make his life easier and more enjoyable, and he appreciated her efforts. He did his best to make sure she understood just how grateful he was that she even tried, so many wives didn't anymore.

  Yes, he always made sure she knew just how much he appreciated her, whether she liked it or not.

  Lights

  Chapter Ten

  Sonora leaned over the front of the bike. How could there be so many lights? A science compound? He was a scientist then! That could explain a lot. But a kidnapping scientist? Sonora huffed. A million things had gone through Sonora's mind while being dragged from her side of the ocean to his. She didn't know what she had expected, but she knew it hadn't been this.

  As they got closer she stood, trying to take it all in until the man put a hand to her waist and pulled Sonora back to the seat. With wide eyes over the wonder of what she saw, Sonora turned to look at him only to see his wide grin. She pointed at the city, glancing at it and back at him. The man nodded and chuckled.

  Sonora turned back to the city, leaning as far forward as he would let her. It was like a snow globe, a giant beautiful snow globe. A delicate latticework grid made up the dome and sparkled like gold, allowing water to pass through the lattice.

  They passed through the front gate which had a filigree so fine Sonora wondered how it stood, yet it took two strong men to open it. The metal on the gate made a vine pattern that shone silver with various colored stones. Sonora blinked. Could they be precious gems?

  Sonora's eyes darted so quickly she felt dizzy. A large town or a small city? Who cared? There were short and tall buildings of every color of the sea, round and square sitting hodgepodge side by side along narrow roads, but they fit together seamlessly. Sonora's gaze lifted to the highest one, a tower that rose above them all, keeping watch, she imagined. When the pod of what Sonora would now call watch-fish swam up to it and whistled for a treat, she knew she was right.

  The whole place had an old-world feel to it, like a colorful, historic European city lost at sea. Though to say it was an old-world England or France would have been wrong because there was an overall look unique to itself.

  Sonora's eyes sparkled as she traced the upside-down waterfalls of small bubbles racing out of the homes like chimney smoke only to drift around the enclosure until they burst at the top wherever they hit a bar in the grid.

  People were out. Some swimming, others in various water vehicles. Most gave the man a friendly wave, and Sonora a curious stare. As if she wouldn't have known by their size, none of them wore a regulator, leaving no doubt this was truly a city of people like him. One man like him was quite enough, she wasn't sure she could handle a whole town.

  But her nerves had faded, making way for curiosity, but they now came back full force. The man pulled to the base of the tallest tower, stopped the bike and gestured for her to follow him. Sonora gulped. There was nowhere to run, or swim, now. She trailed behind him, her heart thumping in her chest. Sonora looked up at the tall building. Was this his home?

  When Sonora slowed, the man turned and waved her forward, taking her hand. Sonora huffed. This man would pull her through the whole ocean like a disobedient child.

  Neighbors looked on some with amusement, some with what seemed like disgust. Was kidnapping that frequent that they gave it this little reaction? Maybe one of the people who'd had an adverse reaction would help her.

  When they got past the light-blue outer wall of the building, the man pulled Sonora in front of him and gave her a small push. She started to float upward, then broke the surface of the water.

  Looking down, Sonora saw that he was hanging back, most likely to give her some space in the narrow tube. She scoffed. He was so big he probably just about jammed it up.

  Sonora lifted her head from the water and scanned the inside of the building. It was a living space, a masculine living room reminiscent of something between Jules Verne and upper-class Titanic.

  Sonora started to pull off her face-mask and stopped. She shook her head. He had to have sent her up because it was oxygen. Sonora pushed her goggles up and spit out her regulator, taking a small breath. Yes, oxygen. She shook off her tank and vest, hopped up on the floor and dragged her gear up onto the tiled floor too.

  She crouched on the floor beside the water portal. He was coming.

  Sonora scrambled backward, the wet floor working against her as she did so. Sonora fell once before gaining traction.

  It took the man only a second to hoist himself up onto the floor. While some would have appreciated the show of rippling muscle as he did so, Sonora felt the threat in them.

  Questions

  Chapter Eleven

  Sonora gasped and continued backing up until she smacked into a wall behind her. It put a sizable space between them, but it still wasn't enough. "Stay away from me! Don't touch me!" Her frightened voice sounded loud in the quiet room.

  When the man spoke, his voice was deep and as flu
id as the water surrounding them. He had a touch of an accent Sonora couldn't identify. "I will not touch you if you do not want."

  "I don't want! Do you hear me? I don't want!" She held her hands out in front of her as she backed further away.

  He raised his hands in surrender. "I hear you.”

  Sonora held one hand up to keep the man at bay. Her shoulders lost some of their tension as she demanded answers to the questions that had tumbled through her mind since she'd woken up on the ocean floor. "Who are you, and what is this place?"

  "My name is Caspian, though most call me Ian." He threw out his hand. "And this is my home."

  Sonora huffed as she took in the two overstuffed chairs calling to her tired body. Floor to ceiling wooden shelves lined panel walls on both sides of a huge antique inlaid wood desk, haphazardly organized with books and mementos she itched to explore.

  Further into the room sitting past two marble columns, an iron chandelier hung over an equally antique dining room table and chairs. Everything in here had aged beautifully, and even Sonora's inexperienced eye told her each piece would be worth thousands of dollars in her hometown.

  Sonora dismissed it all. She wanted answers. "Why did you bring me here?"

  "You needed help."

  "You need help, kidnapping people like that. Nice people don't do that!"

  Although Sonora waited for an answer, Ian stood there without an argument either way. She continued, "You can't just keep me here, you know. I have a family. They will be looking for me."

  "I know." Ian studied her as he rubbed his stubbled chin. "That isn't usually a problem."