INTO THE DEPTHS (THE DEPTHS TRILOGY Book 2) Page 4

  “What the hell is going on?” Bo asked. John shook his head.

  “We have to get out of the city," John replied. Bo experienced an emotion he had not felt in some time: Fear.

  “Take me to Abby. Now,” Bo said, and John nodded in agreement.

  Chapter Seven: New Aquatica

  Deep beneath the Caribbean Sea, below the island of Isla Santa Maria, a submerged level city now known as: ‘New Aquatica’ was a truly magnificent sight. A city of swimming creatures gathered – part-human and part-marine. Tall buildings had been erected in it, cut within a gigantic coral reef. Five thousand feet beneath the surface where no man could possibly live – a silver city of forged iron woven around massive pillars of rock and coral had been built. This world, so cleverly constructed it would seem at first to have been naturally formed was in fact built by hundreds of working creatures – some part-shark, and part-man, others mermaids, with incredible strength – all of them creations of the late Hans Strucker.

  Creatures of various mutated species had evolved, creating a world of their own and once the island had been overpopulated, they had gone below the surface to build this new world on the ocean floor. Massive great white sharks glided over the citadel like elegant floating beasts, as mermaids and mermen swam around the exterior of the city, beautiful and armed with spears – men and women of the sea.

  The giant sharks saw them not as a threat, but rather companions. Squid and octopus scurried about the ocean floor, as a single hammerhead shark glided through the towering nautical metropolis, passing through glowing jellyfish as it swam upward, gliding over the top of the tallest structure of the city... A tower of iron and glass. The tower of Queen Teera.

  The mermaids and mermen were said to be highly intelligent and the most beautiful and gifted of all of Strucker’s marine/human experiments. There were around three hundred in total, all of them possessing the same gifts as Abby, whose mermaid name was Eagle-eye. On land, these exotic and beautiful creatures would walk, look, and move like regular men and women – but once they entered the salty waters of the ocean, their bodies underwent a remarkable transformation – growing exotic fish tails, scales, claws, as well as razor sharp teeth. Their eyes would glow bright blue as their vision adjusted into underwater function. They could run fast on land, but underwater they could swim up to a hundred and fifty kilometres an hour.

  Queen Teera stood in the building which had bubble windows that were easy to pass through. Inside the elegantly furnished tower, she walked on her feet, looking out into the blue of the ocean. Her chamber was beautiful and featured mostly hand crafted furniture, decorated with hand carved mermaids and oceanic life. Outside of the tower danced brilliant glowing jellyfish that acted as lights, lighting even into the interior of her tower. Giant sharks glided over the tower and all around it, acting as guards to the tower and surrounding city. She looked quite human whilst inside the tower – a mane of blonde hair flowing from her slender physique which was draped in a flowing blue gown.

  The room in which she stood was the very top of the citadel and overlooked the city. The tower stood at the absolute centre of the underwater city and provided both a meeting place and a home for the queen. She was around thirty-three when she was subjected to Strucker’s experiments, but since then her age had become frozen in time, as it had with all of Strucker’s creations. There were five seats in the room, and in them sat two beautiful women not much older than she, and three silent men. They all wore similar attire, and spoke in perfect English, which they were also able to do even whilst underwater.

  “So, it is as was prophesied. The end is near," Teera said. The five other women nodded in unison. One of the women spoke next, and seemed nervous whenever she addressed her queen. Her name was Kiara. She had flowing black hair and wore a red satin gown.

  “This is what we were created for! The days of man are ending. My queen, this is why the good doctor gifted us these abilities. He chose us to be the next race of beings on this planet. We will inherit the world of man!” Kiara said, and Teera sighed.

  “The world of man. The world of man? The island is overrun by creatures that do not have love for us, Kiara! The shark-men have no respect for us, and once their island sinks they will come here. This is New Aquatica! They will come to our city and take it over just as they took over the island. The world of man is as good as over, but if we do not fight... our world will be over as well. The time is coming. Soon, the earth will be nothing but sea, and patches of dry land, and we will have to fight for a place among the creatures of the new world. Ivan and his creatures will take control of the oceans unless we fight!” Teera said.

  Genna, one of the other mermaids spoke up next. She was dark skinned, and her hair dark and braided. Her face was marked with tattoos and she spoke with a Jamaican accent.

  “We are but three hundred strong! Most of us are not warriors. There are over nine hundred shark-men! We have no army!” Genna said. Teera looked at her, her lips full and red as she smiled, running her long fingers through her blonde hair. The three men, who were mermen nodded in agreement Their names were Theus and Amos. Theus was an older man with a greying beard. He was king of New Aquatica and unlike most cultures, the men were not in charge. He sat silently nodding.

  “Then we build one. The time of man is coming to an end, Genna. We are the future... The last of the humans, beautifully crafted into exotic mermaids. We are better than man! Stronger! We are the final step in perfection. Those... things... that took over the island, are NOTHING but freaks, and they wish to kill us all. They slaughtered two hundred of us and we watched as they drove us into the depths. Now... everything will be cast into the depths, and if we wish to survive... we will need to fight for what we have built. Where is Eagleeye?” Teera asked. Kiara sighed.

  “Humans came to the island looking for their friends. She must have helped one of them escape. She hasn’t come back. Perhaps she returned to Melbourne, where she is from?” Kiara said. Teera closed her eyes.

  “Then she is either gone or she will return. The world is cruel, but it will soon be gone. Squishy informed me the quakes are becoming much more regular, and they have caused underwater landslides. The humans don’t have long. I only hope that wherever she is, she comes back to us quickly,” Teera said, and the group nodded in agreement. Squishy was a part-man, part-squid, who used electrical equipment to monitor the weather, and all things regarding the outside world. He had also been a friend of Abby’s.

  “Genna! You are our greatest warrior! I charge you to build me an army worthy of New Aquatica. Every mermaid and mermen that can wield a spear, will! No exceptions!” Teera said, and Genna bowed politely.

  Teera glanced out at the depths of the sea beyond the bubble windows, pushing her fingers through the bubble gently and into the water beyond, watching as the skin began to change a scaly blue.

  “The time is coming... and mermaid shall inherit the earth," Teera said.

  The others left the queen and king alone, and King Theus finally addressed his wife in private.

  “Do you truly believe there will be war? Genna is right, the shark-men outnumber us greatly. Any battle with those beasts we will surely lose, Teera you must see this," he said. Teera glared at him. Mermaids had more fire than mermen; the males more useful in breeding than anything else, although there were some who could be promising warriors. Theus was not one of them, but both he and his wife had lead the retreat from the island together, which had made them leaders when leadership was lacking.

  “Does war frighten you, Theus?” Teera asked, and Theus sighed.

  “We were not bred for war, my queen. The merpeople have always been peaceful, only the shark-men are savage and warlike,” he said calmly.

  “Which is why the queen has more power than the king in our world. A woman will do whatever it takes, a man will do whatever feels right. The time for wisdom and patience has passed, Theus. As queen of New Aquatica I will do whatever is nessecary to ensure the survival of
our people. The shark-men are wild, barbaric, and unpredictable – which is exactly what we need to be. On land, you might have been a great leader – but beneath it, you lack the strength of a true leader. Fear not, my love. I will lead our people to victory, and these monstrous creatures will either live with us in peace... or die, their cartilage left to rot on the ocean floor!” Teera exclaimed.

  Theus nodded in agreement, caressing the cheek of his queen.

  “I will follow your lead, my queen as I have all these years. I will speak to the men as well. There are not as many mermen that would make fine warriors, as there are mermaids, but I will move swiftly to weed out the best I can find. I hope Eagleeye returns soon. We could certainly use her. She is a fine warrior," Theus added. Teera let out a sigh.

  “Let us hope... She is not too late when she does," Teera replied, walking out of the room to her adjacent bed chambers. Theus looked out into the open sea, watching as a shark glided past a bubble window, vanishing into the gloom of the ocean.

  Chapter Eight: The Tide

  Panic! The streets of Melbourne were a rat race of people running, and weaving in and out of shops, carrying as many supplies as they could. Rushing into buses, and running down the streets. Police cars lined the streets on every block staging an evacuation the likes of which had never been seen.

  The skies were grey, rain pouring down, as people fought their way through the city, and found exits to get out of the city. One woman fell, almost getting trampled amidst the chaos, a homeless man stopping to help her to her feet. The trams had stopped, buses lining up in the streets to take people out of the city as people flocked to the streets – running out of 7-Eleven with arms full of food and tobacco. One man had grabbed boxes of wine as he ran towards a waiting bus.

  Bo and John raced down the street to a bus heading for St Kilda, climbing aboard and jumping into seats. The bus was full of ranting and crying people, one woman yelling out something about the end of days.

  “I can’t believe this! This doesn’t make sense!” Bo said, as John dabbled sweat from his forehead with a tissue. They both carried bags, John’s full of notes, his laptop, and a few piles of clothes. Bo still had his satchel and backpack which had not yet been unpacked.

  The doors of the bus closed as it made its way down Swanston Street, driving away from the city over the bridge and heading towards St Kilda. Outside the bus, the rain had started to pour down and lightning was lighting the skies, which had turned an eerie dark grey. Thunder roared as the Yarra River’s waters became wild, thrashing about with ferocity.

  “My God! I’ve never seen anything like this!” John said, looking out of the rain spattered windows as hail the size of golf balls pummelled the street and the Yarra River, hitting people as they ran as fast as they could. One man took one in the head, blood running down his face as the bus slowly cruised past. The man fell to the ground as people raced all around him.

  Hail stones smashed into the bus, cracking the glass of windows all around them.

  “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??” a passenger screamed, his face white as a ghost.

  “WE NEED TO DRIVE FASTER!!” a man yelled at the driver, who glanced over his shoulder at the passenger, his face soaked with sweat.

  “I CAN’T! THE ROAD IS BUMPER TO BUMPER! EVERYONE’S TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE CITY! JUST SIT DOWN AND TRY TO STAY CALM!” the driver yelled.

  As he said it the driver returned his attention to the road ahead. The cars were indeed backed up, but were beginning to move slowly as the trees around the road blew back and forth wildly, branches breaking off and landing on cars. More lightning cracked across the sky, and Bo jumped at the sound of thunder.

  “How far is it?” Bo asked, trying not to panic.

  “To St Kilda? Usually, thirty minutes. In this traffic? It could take a while," John said.

  “Could we run it?” Bo asked. John shook his head.

  “It’d take us an hour and twenty, maybe more... and in this weather? You’d be fucking nuts!” John said. Bo sighed, looking out the window again. The hail was still pelting down, and he closed his eyes.

  “Fuck,” Bo said, under his breath.

  *****

  Dwyer Heights was also in chaos. Abby bolted up in bed as thunder cracked, the sound of hail hitting the roof and windows startling her. The door to her room swung open, Beverly rushing over to her and releasing her from her restraints.

  “What’s going on?” Abby asked. Beverly shook her head.

  “I’m getting you out of here. The beach is just down from the cliffs. All the patients are being taken in buses. I’m trusting you, Abby! We don’t have much time! Beverly walked out of the room with Abby following close behind.

  The hospital was in chaos. Patients running amok as they chased down nurses, tearing off their clothes and howling like wolves, driven mad by the sounds of the massive storm.

  “This way!” Beverly yelled, busting through the door of a fire exit. Abby and Beverly ran down the stairs as hail pelted the windows around them, smashing through and hitting the walls. Beverly screamed as a hail stone flew past her face, scratching her forehead, blood trickling from the wound. Abby threw an arm around the doctor, shielding her from the stones as they flew in from the windows, shards of glass flying at them and cutting them as they ran down the stairs. Behind them, a choir of screams erupted from the hospital staff.

  At the bottom of the staircase, Abby kicked open the door and they ran through the corridor beyond that was finally coming to the end. The hail stones rained down from the sky, as Abby looked out towards the cliff ahead that was perched high over the ocean, about a twenty feet drop.

  “This exit doesn’t go anywhere. It’s just a cliff! There’s nowhere to go!” Beverly said. Abby pulled Beverly to face her.

  “Do you trust me?” Abby asked. Beverly shrugged. Abigale seized her, picking Beverly up off her feet and cradling her, running towards the cliff. Massive hail stones fell all around them as Abby ran through them, narrowly avoiding the falling stones and jumping off the ledge of the cliff, leaping towards the crashing waves below. Abby and Beverly fell into the water, sinking down as Abby began to change, her body shifting into mermaid form... her legs ripping her pants apart and morphing into a tail, and her eyes glowing a bright blue. Beverly stared at Abby, screaming under the water so Abby tried to calm her, holding Beverly’s arms as she swam to the surface.

  Abby swam towards a dock, the two of them climbing out of the water and laying under the wooden bridge which shielded them from the falling hail. Beverly coughed, spitting water out of her mouth and Abigale slowly morphed back into her human form. Beverly looked up at her, shaking her head.

  “What the hell are you?” Beverly asked. Abby sighed, ringing water out of her hair.

  “I couldn’t possibly hope to begin to make you understand. What’s going on? What’s happening to the weather?” Abby asked. Beverly shook her head again.

  “Nobody really knows. The news said something about landslides and earthquakes... I think the world is ending!” Beverly said. Abby nodded.

  “Or at least the world as we know it," Abby said, going through Beverly’s pockets and pulling out her phone.

  “It works!” Abby said, smiling as the phone came to life.

  “Yeah it’s waterproof, but who are you calling?” Beverly asked. Abby dialled a number.

  “John. I need to see if he’s okay," Abby replied.

  “You are still my patient!” Beverly said, and Abby turned towards the asylum on the cliffs above.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure your hospital is gonna survive this,” Abby said, as she listened to the dial tone. John answered the phone.

  “Yeah?” John said in a loud voice.

  “John! Thank God you’re alright! Where are you?” Abby asked. John sighed.

  “We’re on a bus heading to you! Bo is with me!” he said. Abby suddenly looked stunned.

  “Bo? Bo Landers?! What the hell is he doing with you?” Abby asked, and John in
terrupted.

  “It’s a long story, look we are about ten minutes away. We’re in a bus, where are you?” John asked. Abby looked around.

  “We’re on the beach beneath the hospital! There’s a bridge near the shore... a dock! Hurry!” Abby said, and John hung up the phone.

  Abby turned to Beverly who was trying to stop her head from bleeding.

  “Are you okay?” Abby asked. Beverly nodded.

  “I don’t know what you are... but you’re amazing. Thank you," Beverly said. Abby nodded.

  “Who did you call? Is help coming?” Beverly asked, taking off her jacket and passing it to Abby to cover her naked lower half.

  “More help than I thought we’d have," Abby replied.

  *****

  John and Bo got out of the bus outside Luna Park in St Kilda. The hail had passed, the streets covered in smashed clumps of ice. They ran past the huge smiling clown face of the theme park, running down the street towards the beach.

  “Maybe it’s over! I mean maybe that’s it!” Bo said, as John shook his head.

  “No. This is the calm before the storm. Look at the sky! Something big is coming!” John said.

  Bo glanced upward as a massive flock of seagulls flew over their heads – hundreds, maybe thousands of white birds flying away from the ocean. The sound of wings flapping caused John to stop running. They both stood across the road from the beach, staring out towards the horizon – the sky full of birds flying the direction they had just fled. The sky was thick with them.

  “Oh my God. What do you think it means?” John asked. Bo shook his head.

  “Nothing good. We need to move fast. Something tells me we are right where we don’t want to be!” Bo exclaimed, running across the deserted street in the direction of the beach.

  Abby and Beverly saw them running towards them – two panicked men that were scared for their lives. Bo ran up to Abby first, and she embraced him before he could speak. Bo was suddenly lost for words, because all the old feelings he had buried for so long came back to him in a swarm. All this time he had wanted to tell her he loved her. Kiss her and tell her he was sorry... he had walked away from her... from the island five years ago... and every day he had regretted it. All of this was on the tip of his tongue, yet the words seemed frozen.