Two figures hid in the dark, their chests rising and falling slowly. One kept the other as close as possible, in a strong embrace. Their bodies were pressured firmly, rubble all around them; there was very little space to move in. And they felt it would soon get worse, because they kept imagining the small cavity giving in on itself.

Two silver eyes glinted open after an hour. He was not hearing any more scratches or the sound of vines hitting fiercely the rocks. He could only hear fearful breathing in the thick darkness around them. Alon’s hold loosened slightly, causing Matthew to let out a faint gasp, surely thinking something was wrong. His hazel eyes could not see as well in the dark, born human; he grew nervous when he let go after such a long while.

Matthew soon relaxed, because Alon gave him a small reassuring nudge. Even if faintly, he could discern that he was only looking around and glaring at the debris, brushing some dust off with his fins. Their bodies hurt a lot, neither having dared to outstretch for a long while.

Alon spoke, merely whispering, still afraid of triggering another attack.

“You are not bleeding, are you?” Matthew frowned when Alon reached for his fins, finally deciding to move and check. “Did any rocks scratch you? Did her vines-?“

“I’m fine. Just… very squished by a whale?” Alon backed away, because Matthew pushed one of his hands down gently. There was a rise of eyebrow that neither could see. “Stop worrying about me. The one that has been cut is you.”

Matthew had not seen much before he bolted in between. But he was not stupid; he knew those red things around her were sharp. He saw them at close range. And he would never admit, not without allowing himself to freak out, that he could trace the smell of blood faintly. It was tangling in the stagnant water of the cavity, in which they were trapped in. It was not his own blood, but Alon’s. How he could know, he did not want to think of.

The angelfish had been trembling, ever since the orca tackled him and pushed them both in. He had blocked anything from hitting him, shielding him from the crumbling debris. As well, he hid him from any possible vine that could get in.

It could seem they were safe now. But Matthew could not avoid feeling anxious, in a different way. They were trapped in an enclosed space. It really was a very small cavity, not even he could uncurl. Alon had it worse, bigger. Their tails had to tangle to be able to just crouch.

They pondered silently again; for a while. Until Matthew decided to voice a very important matter, very angrily.

“What the fuck is up with her?! Why the hell did she try to hurt us?!”

Alon flinched, hearing him yell in an outburst. For it, he expected something to attack the rocks again. The threads could have felt the echo. Nothing happened, however. So he lowered his hands and decided to address the matter too.

“I don’t know, Matthew. But it surely has something to do with this damn seaweed; it was wrapped around her, all over. I saw a trace of red in her eyes…”

She was nothing like the mermaid he knew. He did not know if she could resent his choice enough to do this. She had wanted Matthew close, yet she had lashed at him too; something that only made him more bitter, if possible.

“She’s thirsty for blood, like those fucking threads!” Matthew fidgeted slightly, grunting while he tried to turn into a more comfortable position. He only managed to hit Alon with his tail. “T-there was definitely something fucked up with her! Just like that damn flower! You merfolk are messed up, your magical crap too! Because it has to be that! What kind of mindfuck are we dealing with?!”

Alon bowed his head again, hands fumbling.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, that’s a problem!  A huge one! Because we still don’t know shit and she does not seem to want to chat and explain! Finding her was useless! Instead of answers, she tried to give us cuts!”

Alon slammed his lower fins, prompting Matthew to listen, his voice growing firm.

“I do know something.” He glared at the debris surrounding them. “We have to get out.”

Matthew shivered instantly.

“A-are you crazy? Those things are out there! She is out there, and out of her mind! I’m not risking being lashed at!”

“We can’t just stay here!”

“W-we can, at least for a while longer!” Matthew curled against a wall, fins puffing out. “It’s safer here!”

Alon leaned closer, scolding.

“Look, we would have been crushed already if those threads were still active. She’s gone. So we need to get out. We have no clue what she is thinking, why is she doing all this, or why is she leading this disgusting horde of seaweed; and we won’t ever find out like this, hiding!” Matthew was still not convinced. And so, Alon said words he knew would make him reconsider. “I will suffocate here soon anyway, I need air.”

Those hazel eyes did indeed open wide, their attention now unconditional. Alon tried to hide his smug smile while Matthew sat up, suddenly considering leaving.

“You need to get air, now?!”

Alon could lie, even if he did not like it. He was not as good as her, but he was good enough to fool Matthew. The darkness helped conceal it; he only needed to fake urgency in his voice.

“Now, yes. I really should find some air between rocks or just head to the surface. Maybe-“

He could not finish the sentence. He watched baffled while Matthew thrashed in his small corner to face the side where the hole had been. His hand began to lash to move away rocks and dust that had fallen over it, to open it.

“Stop talking and give me a hand!” He shook his only limb angrily, exasperated. “Three better than one, dammit!”

Alon moved Matthew off gently, needing to have enough space to near the blocked opening. He slammed his hands on the rocks, growling. His fangs showed as he dug his way out.

It took some minutes, which passed like hours for Matthew. But eventually, one of Alon’s hands emerged from the dust at the other side. It only took a few hits to make the opening big enough for their bodies, something they both helped in with slams of tail.

Matthew let out a harsh huff, finally crawling out. He quickly inhaled fresher water, because the one in there had begun to feel heavy in him, like polluted air he would say. He spent too much time breathing it.

Alon followed out more calmly, even if he had to wiggle his tail out, slightly stuck for a minute. A minute that Matthew spent looking around, mind panicking. He expected black and red vines to go down on them… And they did.

“Ah-h.”

Alon raised an eyebrow, hearing Matthew whimper ahead. He was squirming all around, his arm whipping up and down wildly; because a vine had tangled onto it. But that seaweed was completely limp, dead. It did not have a mind, it merely had floated down rotten.

While Matthew kept on swimming around himself with loud snarls to shove the vine off, Alon floated upright. His silver eyes gazed up and sideways. The huge mass of black that inhabited the void was gone. It had crumbled down, untangling from every surface it had covered. Now its flesh looked even blacker, rotten, like if life had left it. It was all limp, gone the arrangement they had sown. They drifted, hanging down, torn. All were falling like snow, taken by the slow currents in the depths. They were truly safe. The seaweed did not tangle onto rocks anymore. It withered over them, dressing them chaotically.

Alon looked down. There had been a red mass below them, where he found Iara. Now, all was black.  It had weakened, given up on itself. She was nowhere to be found. The only thing to be seen were the depths, their unending darkness waiting below.

While he pondered, Matthew let out a loud angry huff. His caudal fin gave a kick to the pesky vine, sending it down, finally off him. His hazel eyes glared at it for a minute, panting. But then he remembered. With a jolt, he was fast to turn around to face Alon. He was surprised to see him floating there, doing nothing but look at the mess around them.

“What are you doing?!” Alon blinked, because Matthew was staring at him poker-faced. “Go take some air! You need to-!”

“I don’t need it yet.”

Matthew’s jaw dropped.

“What…?!”

Alon smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck while he looked away, seeing hazel eyes slowly fill with realization.

“I kind of told you a little lie to make you see we needed to get out. I can wait a few more hours.” Matthew’s hand clenched slowly. Alon began to sway away faintly. “I- I mean, even if these things were still active, it was better to make a run for it, you know? You needed fresh water, we could not hide and-“

Alon’s eyes closed slightly, because Matthew dashed and gave him a harmless hit with his fist. One he had expected and welcomed.

“D-don’t you make me panic like that, you idiot! I have enough as it is! I’m fucking worried about everything! The last thing I need is to think you are going to suffocate! What if these things had stabbed again?! What if she was around?! What if we were not fast enough?! What if-?!”

Matthew’s fast ramble was cut off. And not by Alon, who would have let him vent, gladly. There was a growl, faint, below. It echoed back to them, up, from the darkness. And of course, one of them instantly cowered with a yelp. The brunet stopped protesting and hid behind him, at light speed. He was now peeking at the depths over his shoulder, whispering nervously.

“W-what was-?“

Alon raised a hand to ask him to stay silent, wary. He had heard it too.

“Shh…”

The killer whale glared downwards with a sharp gaze, ready to grab the angelfish and bolt towards the surface if needed.  The sound came from below, inside the thick darkness between tall rocks. Something was twitching between those vines that had been red. The growl had sounded feminine. Even if faint, he could know it. Its echo came clear, even if muffled. It could have been Iara… and neither knew if they wanted to face her or avoid her. Neither knew what she had in mind, what she thought of them.

She tried to kill us…

Those thoughts faded slightly when they heard another echo. It came louder, more clearly. It was a pained wheeze. Matthew’s hand lost its grip on Alon’s shoulder. He yelped, seeing him bolt fast, sinking towards the shadows without a doubt.

“Alon?!”

He ignored Matthew. He clenched his teeth, haunted by the thought of her being hurt. There was a faint trail of blood below. And so, he swam between ripped vines, pushing them off angrily out of his way. He advanced towards the small whimpers he could hear. When he was close enough, he heard a loud gasp, and something cowering. He was taken aback, because he saw a small white glow flicker out. But he still could discern the outlines of a girl lying against the rocky wall. He ripped the last threads covering the figure… and saw that it was not Iara. It was an angler, who looked up at him in shock. Her eyes were open wide, staring at him like he was going to strike her.

He could only float there, frowning in worry, even if it was not her. This merfolk was wounded, he could see the lacerations on her tail and upper fins. But the worst cuts were on her huge caudal fin, stabbed through. Seaweed was still tangling all around her, but it had crumbled enough for her to struggle. She had been fighting her way out for sure.

The girl seemed to recover from her surprise. Alon leaned slightly away when she hissed at him, obviously thinking he was a threat. Her fangs, even if small, were sharp as needles. It would be easy to harm her right now, she was trapped. Both knew. And so, she began to flail her body, trying to show she would defend herself; in turn, he raised his hands and kept his distance. Anglers were loners, not very social, and very apprehensive of other merfolk. Still, he tried to speak with her.

“Calm down, you are-“

“G-go away!” She groaned and pulled again, to no avail, stuck. “Don’t you dare touch me!”

“I won’t hurt you.” She huffed and slumped, watching warily as Alon motioned with a hand, carefully. “I will help you out if you let me. Sounds good?”

Diya glared, still remembering that shark. She never neared other merfolk, not for long. Still, she seemed to wager her options; there were not many. Alon relaxed when she did. She let out a tired trembling sigh and leaned into the vines’ hold again. Their flesh was still sunk into her tail, piercing her skin, making her wince with every slight move.

Alon neared slowly. She kept an eye on his moves, never trusting. His hand lowered onto the vines, and once he made sure she was not hissing, he began to rip some. Both glared; he did because he had trouble freeing her, the threads on her tail still strong, red as blood.

“How did you get trapped?”

She was about to speak, deeming he was not dangerous. Sadly, someone else decided to dash down towards them, startling her.

“Alon! What are you-?!”

Matthew and Diya gasped loudly, both trying to move away when they saw each other; Alon just rolled his eyes. One growled, menaced. The other swayed his tail wildly in astonishment.

“Who is she?! What is she doing there?!”

“Who are you?! W-what do you want?!”

Alon intervened before both could yell more.

“Shut up, both of you. I’m trying to focus here.” He met her eyes, firm. “He’s with me, don’t mind his panic.”

“I’m not panicking! I’m reasonably concerned! Fuck, are those vines stabbing her tail?!”

Both angler and orca ignored the nervous angelfish. He smiled sadly, finally freeing all her upper body. She showed clear signs of pain as he broke the vines, so he tried to distract her from the ache.

“What’s your name?”

Diya raised an eyebrow at him, still distrustful. But she appreciated that he had freed her torso, only her tail still trapped. His silver eyes had to blink and focus again, because her lure suddenly glinted alight. It moved to aid his efforts.

“Diya.”

Alon smiled a little more, trying to show care, not a single trace of malice.

“Name’s Alon.” He laughed a little, still trying to ease the tension. “Wish we had met in other circumstances, right?”

Diya did not cower but did tense when Matthew neared slowly. He eyed her up and down, squirming as he took a closer look at her wounds. Past her black scales, he could see a deep red, and not from seaweed. It was open flesh, slightly torn.

“Disgusting…”

Diya rolled her eyes at him, leaning her head.

“If that is all you can say, don’t bother.”

He had thought those vines were bad enough, only capable of stabbing. Now he had to add the fear of them melting his flesh to the list of things he had to keep an eye out for. He could not blame her for being hissy. Those threads had seeped into her, and some were still tearing through her caudal fin.

Alon glared at those soon enough, the last ones he needed to rip out. So he warned her.

“This might hurt.”

Diya sighed, closing her eyes.

“J-just break them already. Please.”

Both mermen exchanged looks. Breaking those would mean ripping slightly her skin too, they were melted together. They had been leeching her blood, strongly.

Matthew would never be able to bring himself to do it. But Alon always chose the best course of action, even if painful. There was a fierce calculated yank, and they showed empathy for the obvious pained expression on her face. It only lasted a second, luckily.

Alon was fast to catch her as she slumped away from the rocks with a wheeze, finally free. She fainted as soon as she felt herself sink, finally out of the trap she had been in, a lot of blood taken. He blinked down at her, holding her carefully. A painful silence fell, both baffled, confused by all that had happened in so little time. Matthew was the one to break the silence after a minute, while looking down at her.

“We have to get out of here.”

Alon sighed angrily, glaring up.

“You’re right.”

Not only because he would really need air soon, but for her safety. They could not leave her here. They could see that this seaweed was not only sharp… it was also a deadly predator. It stole life from any living thing, hungrily, yet slow to devour. They now knew why the fish preferred to flee towards humans.

Matthew was staring at Diya, not having seen other merfolk apart from that shark, Alon and Iara. Every single one made him feel wonder, curious apprehension. But he stopped staring soon, hearing a concerned whisper.

“Let’s go find some reefs, Matthew.”

The mass of seaweed was gone, the waters were free. The sun glinted faintly above, past ripped tuffs of black. Iara had gone away, her red dress with her.

Matthew found himself following Alon slowly, both their hearts reluctant to swim away. Their eyes traced the darkness, somehow wishing to catch a gray glimmer, even if it could mean danger. They did not know what they wanted after what happened.

They just did not understand her feelings.