Submersive

A blustery, bitter wind assaulted her bloodied face with ice and snow. The fresh opened wounds stung from the elements. She pushed through the knee-high snow and the gale force winds. She pulled her father's heavy wool coat tighter around her thin body as she reached the safety fence that safeguarded her perfect community from a step drop off. She spat at the idea of the perfect community. It was only perfect to her mother, the head of the HOA. The very woman that just mangled her face with a mirror.

The nor'easter had long since knocked out the power and the community was boarded up to ride out the storm. Not a single soul knew she was there with her little flashlight as she quickly worked her way over the fence. The mounting ice made it treacherous to climb and her broken left wrist was of no use. It was wrapped in a dirty bandage and supported by thick cardboard. Her uncle was kind enough to do that. He insisted that she be taking to the hospital. He had once been an EMT and recognized the telltale signs. Her mother forbad it, stating that she was just exaggerating and to ignore her. But he knew a broken limb when he saw one.

She was careful of her footing as she dismounted the coated fence. The drop was nothing but large rocks and pines. Her small light didn't do much. It was like a small candle in a large cave, practically useless. She worked her way down the large steep hillside. She slipped and tripped the whole way down. She landed in a deep ditch and vanished into the mounting snow. Her little flashlight was lost. She struggled to her feet and looked straight ahead. There was her destination. An old pier that had been closed off since spring after a little boy nearly fell to his death.

The North Ridge Pier was hung up in court about repairing the historic site or dismantling it. Right now she cared nothing about that. It had power still but it flashed like an unsteady strobe light. It was barely visible in the growing whiteout. She stumbled toward the road when as slow-moving vehicle appeared from the darkness. A 4-wheel drive type SUV. It was heading back into the main part of town. She stepped back to keep out of the bright lights. She doubted they could have seen her but she didn't want to risk it.

The snow was damn near blinding and all she could see were the headlights and taillights that creeped by. She waited for them the pass before she dashed across the coated street and to the old parking lot. The entrance was gated and signs warned people about the dangers ahead. The storm surge was only a few feet away before it would overtake the barrier wall. Not that she cared. She worked her thin body through the horizontal bars and looked down flickering pier. The lights were moving violently; up and down and left and right. It wasn't just from the wind but the unforgiving waves of the Atlantic. She held her arm tight to her body as a large gust of wind nearly knocked her to the ground.

It was now after midnight and Christmas day. Some Christmas this had been. It was just as crummy as her mother's side of the family. Lawyers, crooked lawyers. Some of the worst the town had to offer. They were the reason her uncle, who had married his father's sister, could not take her to the hospital. They threatened false lawsuits against him and her aunt. What a lovely family she had. Her father was so henpecked he did nothing to help his sister and her husband. Merry Christmas everybody. It's the most magical time of the year. Bullshit!

She brushed her long tawny out of her face. The icy wind was causing the blood on her face to freeze. Her hair kept trying to stick to her crystalized gashes. She lost her footing more and more the farther out she moved. The frail structure groaned even over the wind and waves. A few times she had to crawl in the snow being knocked from her feet. Honestly, she could just burry herself a let the storm take her. However, it would be much quicker to just jump. Being so far out it should make it faster.

Off in the distance she heard a roll of thunder. Snow thunder was rare but this was the perfect weather for it. She found it hard to stand now that she was at the end of the line. The pier was at its weakest here. The wind pushed against her and the waves jostled her underfoot. She looked at her wrist again and clicked her tongue. She had been an idiot when she did that. Whatever. It wasn't like she was going to regret it for much longer.

She needed to get it over with. She took a few stiff breaths and steeled her nerves. It was now or never. She knocked a mix of snow and ice off the railing. It was so slick she questioned if she could even get a foot up before going in. This was going to be quick. If she didn't jump then Mother Nature was going to push her in.

She barely got her other foot out of the snow and frozen ocean spray when the lights cut out completely. Another roll of thunder clapped overhead. She felt herself just barely starting to tip over the edge. This was it she was finally going to have some peace.

She was jerked to a hard stop when a tight pressure wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her boney body. She was pulled from her would be death in a rough manner. She and her savior spun around a couple of times awkwardly from the ice and wind. She landed face first and the good Samaritan's weight pressed her into the icy snow. The snow was hard from the mix of sea water and it hurt unbelievably. The pain and the action had left her in a bit of bewilderment.

She tried to piece it together as to what just happened. Who would follow her out here? Moreover, who could even have seen her in this whiteout? She smelt leather under his nose, his glove, as he hastily dug the hardened snow from her face. Having air filter back into her lungs she screamed out. She screamed in frustration and from the pain she was in.

"AAAAAAGH!!"

His weight and the stiff snow worked against her. She was so very thin she had no muscle to put up a fight. The person holding her clearly would remain the victor.

"Hey, h-hey, easy," he called over the wind. His voice was deep, sitting somewhere between baritone and base.

"G-get off me," she screeched as they started to slide a bit to the right. "Let m-me go! Let me gooo!"

"Th-that's not going to happen, l-lady. I can't afford t-to talk you down at th-this time," he said, grabbing her arms and forced them around to her back. "We're g-getting off this death tr-trap so don't fight m-me!"

She felt a tight metal object wrap around her good wrist. He forced the other one up under her poor makeshift cast. She hissed in pain hearing the faint clicks of the final cuff. He struggled to his feet and pulled her up to stand. He wasn't gentle about it but considering they started to slide to the other side of the pier he wasn't going to let her get away. The waves had started to wash father up over the pier floor and started to reach for their feet.

He had his own flashlight and like hers it was like a candle in a massive cave. He looped his arm in hers and started down the pier as fast as he could move her. She tried to fight against him but he was proving to be stronger just like everyone else.

"St-stop it," he ordered and jerked her forward. "Look, lady! I d-don't want to die and y-you shouldn't want to e-either! This pier is a-about to go! I felt s-some of the supports sn-snap trying to get to y-you! We'll s-sort everything out once w-we get off this thing! Now st-stop fighting me!"

"If y-you're so scared for your l-life just leave m-me," she cried, trying to pull away from him again.

"I-I can't do that! We're g-getting off and w-we're getting off t-together," he pulled harder and she stumbled a bit. "D-don't you do it!"

She dropped her weight completely, nearly dragging him to the pier floor with her.

"J-just leave me alone," she yelled over a large gale.

"I'm d-done with you acting l-like a kid!" he unhooked his arm from hers. "Y-you want to act l-like one… Then I'll tr-treat you like one!"

To her awe, shock, and horror she was hoisted up over his right shoulder like a potato sack. He picked up his flashlight and hurried back to shore. Several ungodly sounds came from beneath them almost like cannon fire. There was a sharp drop as several of the supports gave out at once. They were thrown forward before being catapulted back and off to the side. They went right off the side and straight toward the raging surf and splintered wood.

She had closed her eyes expecting to be greeted by the freezing water only to come to a hard jerk. In those few split seconds he had latched onto her upper arm and kept her from the raging ocean. His was grip was so tight it was hurting her even through the wool coat. There wasn't really anything much she could see of him. He was clearly hanging onto something to keep them suspended in the air. They swayed like heavy flags in the wind.

She looked down, feeling a wave lick at her feet. He was holding onto her for dear life. Why would he do that? He didn't know her so why would he risk his life to keep her from going in? It would be easier if he let go and climbed up. Just save himself and leave her behind.

His other gloved hand held onto a weak spindle of the dismantled railing. He wasn't sure if the wood was giving out or if the nails were. Hell, it could both. He turned to look in the direction of the woman he was hanging onto. He could sort of see her. He turned to look up. He could barely see part of the pier floor. He gnashed his teeth in pain, trying to keep both of them from going in. He weighed his options. He might just be able to get her up there. She wasn't going to like the process though. Another wave came up almost engulfing her completely. He tightened his already vice grip even more. He had one shot at this.

"J-just let me g-go," she said, blowing salt water from her nose.

"Okay," he responded, risking a swing that might dislodged them from the railing. "Wh-whatever you s-say!"

He gave two or more hard swings to get the momentum he needed. She soon found herself in the air and then on the pier. The landing had been rough on her right side. She slid some before she painfully sat up. How did he do that? She knew she was a twig but still. She sat on her knees and found herself waiting for him. Was he still down there? She got up and looked over the edge.

"Don't you d-dare," he snapped, reaching up and grabbed the pier floor. "I'm not t-taking a dive for you and I d-don't have the strength the c-catch and throw y-you again."

He pushed himself up and was finally able to get his knee over the edge. He rolled a little bit trying to catch his breath in the frigid air. He got back to his feet hurriedly as another large wave reached over the pier. He grabbed her arm again and they started to run. Little by little more of the supports start to groan and crack. Thankfully, the wind was at their backs and propelled them to the safety of shore.

They hit the landing. The storm surge had already climbed over the sandy barrier and licked the edge of the parking lot. Keeping their footing had become hard and nearly impossible as the surf reached over their ankles. Just as they reached the gate there were several large explosions that echoed over the storm and waves. The last of the pier had given up and succumbed to the angry Atlantic Ocean.

He began to push her through the horizontal bars when the wave that took out the pier rushed them. There was no way to outrun it. He grabbed her again and held her closed to himself and the gate. She instinctively held her breath as the wave washed over them. The gate swung forward fighting against its large chain and lock. But like every wave it had recede. She didn't know which was worse being wash to shore or nearly being dragged back out.

Once the water as retreated he let go over her and she dropped as she tried to catch her breath. She didn't much of change to gather her wits before she was almost dragged along the ground. There was no time to wait another one was heading for them. He took notice that there was some debris that some debris from the pier had hung in air and coming down.

He lifted her up and pulled her coat over head to keep the last of the debris off her. He did the same with his coat and kept them moving. They shortly arrived at the now-covered SUV. Both of them collapsed up against the SUV. They were freezing and were nearly drowned. He took notice that the last wave had almost reached his SUV. He painfully opened the backdoor and pushed her in as she didn't have much strength to climb in. He shut the door and hobbled over to the front of the car and started to wipe as much snow as he could from his windshield. He found a piece of the pier on his windshield. The large plate of glass was cracked but still drivable not like they had a choice in the matter.

She stared at him through the thick plastic partition as she shivered in her soaking wet clothes. The only light came for his laptop. She leaned back and tried to adjust herself better so she wouldn't lean on her bad wrist.

He quickly got in the driver's seat and turning on the wipers to keep more snow from gathering. The heat was thankfully still mildly warm and it felt good to be out of the wind. Another gale raced over the car and it rocked from the force. He started up the car and moved out of the parking lot away from the serge. He flipped on the interior lights and turned to look at her. She kept her wet stringy hair over her face as he studied her with fair sea green eyes.

"Y-you alright?" he asked, knocking on the partition. "H-hey, lady, l-look at m-me. Are y-you alright?"

She didn't say a word and just shivered. He sighed and unclip his fleece line hat from under his chin. He then threw his hat into the seat beside him.

"I-I can't help y-you unless y-you talk to me," he insisted. "I-I know why you w-were out there b-but what dr-drove you?"

He looked at her a little more closely. Her long hair had a familiar red tint to it that the ocean never fully washed away. It was fresh too by the color of it.

"Look at m-me. Lady, are you h-hurt? I n-need you to l-look at me," he knocked again.

She said nothing for a few moments before she finally turned her soaked head towards him and shook some of her hair from her face. She could hear a slight jerk in his breathing. Her pale face was completely shredded. She closed her emerald eyes and tried not to cry. This was embarrassing to her. She didn't want anyone to see what she looked like. This was one of the reasons why she wanted to jump. Her mother drove her to this point and the woman stated just hours ago she never wanted children. If she wasn't wanted then why stick around any longer?

"G-good, God," he breathed under his breath. "What h-happened? Who did this t-to you?"

She remained quiet and looked away from him.

"F-face me again. I w-want to see how bad i-it is," he said. "C'mon, l-look at me."

Slowly she turned her head to face him fully this time. She didn't like being stared at even it was for her own benefit. She stopped dead when they got a good look at each other. Oh, no… Why him? Of all people she could have run into out here, why did it have to be this one cop? She rubbed her bandaged wrist as that mortifying moment came back to her.

"Wha…? It's y-you? The girl from the other day," he looked just as shocked. "Sarah Blalock…"

Three Days Earlier

Sarah moaned slightly as she slept soundly. It was an odd dream she was tied up in. It wasn't a bad dream but it wasn't close to being a happy one either. Out in the ocean was a small fleet of rowboats and dozens of men in old period garments. Real old style. Maybe early colonial? It wasn't quite sundown and there was a small settlement that sat on the distant shore. The men were armed with old match-lock pistols and muckets. There were also armed with swords, spears, and harpoons. There were even metal spikes that lined part of the boats. What were they out in the water to do battle with?

There were no other boats or ships to be seen in the open water. They seemed to be focusing their attention to the blue abyss itself. The water seemed still but she could feel the tension of the men. The longer they waited the greater the tension surmounted. What was in the water that they were hunting? Were they out whaling? Still all that seemed excessive.

Then she saw something disrupt the water in the near distance. It was a fin but it looked nothing like a whale or a dolphin. A fish maybe? More started move in like a large shole of fish or a pod of dolphins. Whatever they were they were there were dozens and dozens of them. They clearly outnumber the men in the boats. The men readied themselves as the creatures dove back down just out of sight. Harpoons, guns, and other weapons were pointed at the water. Something was about to come out of it.

She realized she shared a boat with several men. One was a young man with a brown beard. There really wasn't much she could make out of his face. It was blurred out as were the other men. However, she had a feeling this was the leader. Just a couple more beats later and the things erupted from the water. She could only stare in wonder. They were all different sizes and colors but were still the same sort of creatures. The upper part could almost pass as human and the low was that of a fish.

Mermaids? No, there were more mermen mixed in. They too also had weapons of their own making. Both sides started to clash. She heard the water splashing around her, musket fire, and battles cries from both sides. She held onto the seat as the boat rocked back and forth violently. She was frozen in fear as she watched the battle wage on around her. Both sides were putting up a fierce fight but in the end, the men were outnumbered and it begun to show. People were dragged into the now crimson water. While the merpeople were hoisted up on the harpoons and cut down or shot.

It was nasty to watch it all unfold. She started to feel sick to her stomach the longer she watched this butchery. She turned to look at the leader. He was talking to another man who was several years older. There were no words that she could hear but they seemed to come to same conclusion. It was time withdraw for the time being

They started to call for the retreat. However, right as the men started to turn the rowboats towards shore one of the smaller mermen leapt from the water. He grabbed the leader and dragged him under the blooded waves. His second in command had tried to get a hold of him. He missed and the remaining men had to keep him from going overboard.

"Sarah…"

She found herself now under the darkened water. Between the blood and low sun there wasn't much light to be had anymore.

"Sarah… Hey…"

It felt cold and the pressure was heavy on her. She was down deep.

"Sarah, wake up!"

She heard a load slam on the object she was laying on. She jerked herself awake.

"Sleep on your own time. Sit up."

It was a man's voice. It was familiar and authoritative. Slowly she opened her eyes. She had her head buried in her folded arms. She was staring at the fake, dark wood grain of her of her school desk. She painfully sat up and rubbed the back of her neck. She was so stiff along with her shoulders and elbows.

"I know this is a late class but I need you to stayed awake," the man said, pushing his blue framed glasses up. "Finals are tomorrow and it would be wise if you participated in the review."

She looked up at him. He was middle aged with salt and pepper that was receding. He had a thick goatee and was a little on the heavy side. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her book closer to her.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Gordon," she gave a tiny nodded as he walked back to the front the class.

He turned and went back to the white board. He once again picked up his marker and continued where he left off on the algebraic formula. Class let out at 10pm and she was just so drained by that time of night. She heard a bit of snickering off to her right. She didn't even want to look at them. Abby and Clair were two of a kind that loved starting drama and thought their poop didn't stink. No one really liked them even though they thought they were perfect. Yeah, they had trendy clothes, nice hair, and expensive makeup but that was all they had. No personality or morals.

When Sarah was in high school she had the misfortune of being in the same grade. So, they shared many classes together. It had been 2 years since high school and they still hadn't matured one bit. They acted so out of place that even Mr. Gordon got on them several times.

"You have a red spot," Clair said, pointing at her forehead. "Right there on your forehead."

She knew it but she ignored them. She needed to focus on her studies.

"That's what you get for sleeping in class," Clair continued.

"Leave me alone," Sarah mumbled.

"I'm just telling you the truth."

The woman in front of them suddenly sat up straighter. Her dark face looked aggravated; her lips were pursed and her eyebrows were drawn together. She turned to face the pair sitting behind her. She was maybe in her late forties or early fifties. They turned to look at the Afro-American woman in a haughtily manner.

"Will you knock it off," she growled at them. "Every freaking night you two have to run your mouths."

"So? We weren't even talking to you, Alicia," Abby snorted.

"I don't care. You leave that girl alone," she snapped. "Mind your own damn business."

"Why don't you do the same?" Clair leaned forward in her seat.

"What's going on?" Mr. Gordon asked, looking at the three arguing towards the back. "There is only one more day. So, please, stop whatever you're doing and pay attention."

"Of course, Mr. Gordon," Clair smiled and got a black marker pointed at her.

"Don't start," he warned.

He turned back to the board and mumbled something. Alicia turned back around and pulled her note book a bit closer. They grinned at each other and then at Alicia. They then focused back on Sarah. God, she hated them. They needed a reality check. They weren't in high school. They were in a community college and no one cared about their former popularity status.

Sarah stared at the clock. She had 35 minutes before she could leave. This was going to be a long 35. She tried not to dose off. She didn't want to be fussed at again or get picked on. That was something she got at home 24/7 via her mother.

Finally, it was time to leave. Sarah nearly dosed off again. Thankfully, she wasn't caught. She gathered her things and put them in her shabby bookbag.

"Don't forget… After finals we're having a party. Bring what you can," he said as a few people responded.

Sarah just stood up when she saw Mr. Gordon beckon her to come to his desk. She pushed her chair in and walked over to him. He sat half on his desk and his were arms crossed.

"Sarah, I don't mean the preach to you again now that the class is done for the semester but please try to stay awake during the final," he pleaded with her. "If I catch you even dosing in the slightest I'll fail you."

"But, Mr. Gordon…" she start put held up his hand to quiet her.

"No. Listen. You've slept too much in class and I'm tired of it. If you can't put any effort into the final then why should I grade it? If by some miracle you pass this, I might let you go with a low C. You're failing this class. Do you understand what I'm say?"

"Yes…" she nodded.

"I'm serious. Don't you dare dose off. I don't want to see you again after the new year," he gave her a scolding look. "If you end up with me again and you keep sleeping… I can throw out for poor conduct. Got it?"

She gave a couple of head nods.

"I don't like to see people fail and I hate it even more if I'm forced to do it. Go on home. Be here early for class and get some sleep."

"Okay," she said and turned toward the door.

She walked out into the hall and towards the glass doors leading outside. She opened them, letting the winter air hit her like a truck. She pulled her thin sweatshirt closer as she walked down the sanded but still icy stairs. She saw Alicia talking to another classmate. He was only couple of years older than her and from what she understood he was half Japanese. She hardly learned anyone's name. She didn't like to interact with others. So, why bother to learn who people were?

She just moved passed them when he cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh, Sarah?" he called as she turned to look at him.

"Yeah?" she barely got the word past her lips.

"I'm taking Alicia home tonight. I know you take the bus. Instead of waiting you can ride with us," he said but she turned away.

"I'd rather not," she answered. "I'm fine with the bus."

"You sure?" Alicia asked and Sarah nodded. "It'll be quicker. Warmer."

"No thank you," Sarah started to walk again.

Sure, they meant well but her mother would have a fit if she found out she hitched a ride. She once got one from a schoolmate who lived a couple of streets down from her. Her mother had a fit about it for no particular reason. She saw an opportunity to create some new bogus law and went after the boy's family to get money. She no longer took rides not even from girls. It would be easier on her to just stay riding the bus.

She looked at the net lights that covered the bushes and the wreaths that hung on the doors of the buildings. Christmas was just around corner and how she despised it. That meant her extended family was coming over. She hated them. Her mother's side. Arrogant, powerful, greedy, and of course filthy rich. The whole family had been born with sliver spoons in their mouths. They were one of three most prestigious families in Rough Rock. The Mollers might not have the foot hold that once had but it was still wise not to cross them. Grandmother Ruby was a bitter old bat and she taught her 3 children to be just as bitter. If not worse.

Sarah lightly signed and walked out of the entrance of the stone wall that guarded the front of the school. Atlantic Costal Community College was small but it was perfect for the once robust fishing town. She walked to the end of the block where the bus stop was. She blew into her colds before she stuffed them in front of her tattered sweatshirt. It was well below freezing and her little sweatshirt and sweater shirt wasn't doing her any good. Her old jeans were thin and a few holes let in the biting air. She shivered as she stopped under the orange lamp.

Most times the bus was on time so she wouldn't have to wait too long. She reached into her jeans and pulled out her fare for the bus. She felt sick. The fair was $10. She was shorted just one dollar. Her mother's doing. She was the one that gave her the money. Maybe with luck the driver would let her on. Although the new driver wasn't so nice about her being a buck short so often. She put her hands back in the large sweatshirt and waited.

A few minutes later someone else walked up beside her. She kept her head down when she turned to look at him. It was a man who had a bit of a belly. He wore a stained tan trench coat, dark dress pants, and dull scoffed up dress shoes. She dared to look at his face and regrated it. He was balding and his red hair was so greasy it looked like he just stuck his head in a deep frier. He had a thick mustache and rutty, lightly peeling skin. He smiled at her and his teeth were blacked and yellowed. Some were even missing and broken.

She took a small sidestep to put just a little more space between them. She could hardly wait for that small bus to pull up. She didn't want to be there with him any longer. Slowly on the wind she heard the groan of the diesel engine. The bus was just on the other side of block. She heard the squeak of the breaks as the beams of light from the head lights.

Just under a minute the bus had come to the groaning stop. The door opened and the warm air hit her frozen face. She gripped the cash hard in her hand and took a deep breath. She let Mr. Creep on first before she took a step up.

"H-hey… Look… I'm just one d-dollar short…" she gave him a weak grin and the driver just stared at her with annoyance. "Can I-I just…?

"If you ain't got it, then you ain't go it," he said, fixing his uniform hat. "If you'd invest in a yearly pass we wouldn't have this issue."

"I know b-but… I really n-need a lift. Th-this is all I have and m-my house is a good 30 m-minute walk," she pleaded and he shook his head. "I'll fr-freeze!"

"Not my problem. If you can't walk then have someone pick you up. Now get off," he said, grabbing the lever handle for the door. "Go on."

"Here. This should make up the missing dollar," a lonely little green piece of paper was being waved between them.

They both turned to look at Mr. Creepy. He was giving the driver a dollar to make up for what she was lacking. She honestly did not expected anything like that to happen. The driver sighed and took the money from him. He then held out his hand for her bit. She handed him the $9 and he counted it. It put the money in the secure box.

"Fine. Get in," the driver moaned.

Sarah hurried on in and found a seat.

"Th-thank you," she said as the man just gave her a rotten smile and waved.

Well, at least she was going to make it home on time. It was going to snow again tonight. There was a large storm coming through Christmas eve and Christmas day. A nasty nor'easter expecting to drop over a possible 4 feet and maybe even6 in isolated areas. She put her bookbag on her lap as the bus took her away. The bus was nearly empty. There were only 3 more people and this was last run for the bus.

It wouldn't be much longer now before she arrived home. No, it wasn't a home. It was just a house she just happened to stay in. The other two people got off at the same stop at Youngers Street. That only one left was Mr. Creepy who sat at the far back.

The bus came to another stop just outside the Hillbrook neighborhood. A nasty part of town. It was a slum and the worst that Rough Rock had to offer. If someone wasn't from that part of town that person better not walk in. Stories in the local paper about outsiders getting nosey never ended well.

It wasn't much of a surprise when Mr. Creepy got off the bus. This looked like his nick of the woods. The bus shut its door and drove off. Now it was just her and the cranky driver. She licked her chapping lips as she watched the buildings go by. The next stop was hers at the Oak Trail Community. There were barely any oaks so why it was called that she didn't know.

The bus slowed finally as it reached its last stop for the night. Sarah got to her feet and walked out. The driver wasted no time shutting the door and hurrying on back to the bus garage. Sarah shivered as she looked at the brick walls that sat on either side of the street. She then picked up her feet and started inside.

The community was around 40 years old but was very well maintained. Yards were always clean and nicely landscaped. Something her mother stressed to the point of full on micromanagement. There were all manner of Christmas decorations that lined roof tops, porches, and yards. A lot of the residents had already stored away a fair amount of the decoration in prep for the storm. There was a stiff breeze already coming off the ocean that was at the far back of the posh community.

It took her around 7 minutes of freezing weather before she found herself on the white covered porch of the house. No one even bothered to turn on the light for her. She pulled out her key and walked in. Her father Samuel, or Sam for short, was stretched out on the sofa. There was a small collection of beer cans on the coffee table. Well, he was gone for the rest of the night. She tiptoed around him and turned off the TV.

She quietly made her way into the kitchen. Her mom, Juniper, was in the same sorry state but with a couple of wine bottles. Not good. She wanted to sneak some food but she didn't want to risk waking her drunken mother. Dare she walk in? Her stomach grumbled. She took off her shoes off and hurried to the pantry. She carefully opened the door. It squeaked and she turned to her mom. The woman was still fast asleep. She reached in and grabbed a can of ravioli. She shut the door back and kept an eye on her. She pulled a fork from the drain board and scooted out of the kitchen. She picked up her shoes and headed for the stairs. She sighed in relief when she walked into her room. She closed her door and put a finger in the hole where the doorhandle should have been.

She set the fork and can on the desk while she took off her sweatshirt. She left her bagging, lavender sweater on and just rolled up the sleeves. She grabbed her dinner and sat on the bed. It would have been better warmed but the microwave or the stove would have woken that monster up. Her mom was at her absolute worse drunk.

"At least it will be quiet tonight," she whispered and dug out a square piece of pasta.

She finished and got dressed for bed. She found her night clothes and looked at herself in the cracked mirror on the inside of the closet door. She was thin, boney thin. Her mother insisted that she was fat and often didn't give her a full dinner. Sarah knew she wasn't carrying any extra weight not by any means. She also looked at her old scars and a few healing bruises from last week. She hated looking at her body and what it had turned into over the years. She quickly pulled her shirt over her head and then pulled up her sleep bottoms.

She set her alarm clock and then turned off the overhead light. She crawled into to bed and scooted to her window at the foot of her bed. She looked out at the orange lamps that lined the streets. A few flurries had started to fall. She then stared out into the dark hidden horizon that concealed the ocean. She hated this place and if she could just leave this place she would. She would go so far away that no one could find her.

She snuggled down on her old lumpy mattress and pulled up her covers. She was just so tired and seemed to stay that way. Slowly she started to drift off. She hated that school was ending because now she had no choice but to stay home. Her few hours of freedom where to be taken from her for the next couple of weeks.

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Sarah tossed restlessly in her sleep. She was shivering as though she was back outside. She was under the crimson water once again. It was freezing and heavy. It looked like she was a long way down from the surface. Where was she? This whole scene looked familiar. She felt the water move below her. She looked down seeing two shadowy figures fighting. One was a man the other some fish hybrid. She swam down a bit more to get a better look. There were no faces but she felt that this was a continuation from something. The creature was holding the man deep underwater, drowning him. Little by little he was losing energy. She went to grab the creature to stop him but her hand went right through him.

She looked at her empty hand when a light from below caught her eye. It was actually several lights that moved below in the deep water. The lights were from sort of animals or creatures. One was red and the other magenta. They were massive beings as they snaked through the water. She wasn't sure if she could even gauge their exact size. The lights were of different sizes and patterns. They would even brighten and dim. Whatever they were the creatures were beautiful to see.

Under the magenta creature she saw a glimmer of bright blue. It was so much tinier than the other two it almost went unnoticed. Was that like a baby or something? She heard the water move beside her and saw the man holding out a small knife. It looked like it was made of bone. She had been so distracted by the lights that she missed what happened. The man had freed himself somehow. His attacker held his torn throat, blood gushed out into the water. The man started to swim up but he was much too weak to go very far. He limbs stopped moving as he just sort of floated where he stopped.

Sarah closed in on him and once again her hand went through him. What was going to happen now? If he didn't get back up to the surface he surely would drown. She looked up to see a shadow moving towards them. The shadow wasn't very fast but headed right for them. Who or what was it?

Sarah suddenly sat up and she shook visibly in her bed. What was that? It was familiar. Like something she had seen before. It was like she had picked up where she had left off. She ran her fingers through her long hair and tried to catch her breath. It was just a dream and she knew it. She looked around her dark room and she let out an uneasy breath. She suddenly felt an unease creep into her bones.

She looked around her room, studying everything. Nothing was out of place that she could see. But the shadows seemed darker and the faint light from the street was also dimmed. It was like a dark cloud had settled in her room. Sarah wasn't normally scared of the dark and hadn't been for years. However, at that very minute she felt a fear that was unnatural. She thought that maybe it was the dream but as horrible as it was, she still couldn't declare it a true nightmare.

She could no longer bare the darkness that circled her. She steeled her nerves and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She told herself there was nothing there. Nothing was in her room that could hurt her. However, there was something. It lurked behind her ankles in the void under her bed. There was a flash of two bright orange lights before they vanished.

Sarah dashed for the light switch and pushed the plastic tab up. The light came on and washed away the dark cloud but the feeling still lingered. She ran a hand down her face and she looked around her room. She almost felt compelled to search her lodgings for the nonexistent thing watching her. She leaned against her door before stepping away. She just needed to clear her head. She walked out of the room and toward the stairs. She stepped halfway down and sat on the wood stairs. Her dad was almost on the floor and snoring rather loudly. The only light came from the kitchen, which was just out of sight of the living room.

Maybe it was the ravioli, she questioned. She did eat and went right to bed. Her dad was prone to nightmares after eating certain foods. That had to be it. She slowly got back up and went back to her room. The heavy feeling had miraculously left her small space. Like night and day and she hadn't been gone long. She just could not bring herself to turn off the light. Instead she left it on and got back into bed. She needed to get as much sleep as she could. She still had school even though most of her classes were just to make up the time. She was guilty of just ditching on a whim.

She shuffled to the window over her bed and split the blinds to look out. There was a good coating of snow and the white stuff was coming down hard. That was going to be a mess to walk through in her ratty old sneakers. She hung her head and flopped back. She needed to try to sleep with the light on. She felt safer with it on to keep the dark cloud away.