Drawn to the Sea

Chapter 3: The Great Escape

Douglass

I tugged at the bandages on my tail. They were tight enough that they restricted my movement, but not enough to hurt. They were more annoying that anything.

Sighing, I leaned my head back and rested it on the wall. I thought about that boy, Nate. He seemed nice, and said he would help me get out of here. He'd also cleaned up my wounds, so I couldn't really not trust him. Sure, I would be cautious, but I felt comfortable and safe around him. I couldn't place it, but I felt like he was a missing piece of a puzzle somewhere inside me. I shook my head, huffing a laugh under my breath.

I promised myself I wouldn't trust anyone again, yet here I was.

"So, seems like you're all settled."

I whirled towards the door, finding my captor walking into the room. I tracked him with my eyes as he walked quietly to what I assumed was his desk. He filtered through some papers and kept holding his briefcase.

He turned towards me, smiling. "Since you are all settled, let us begin with the science project, shall we?"

I hissed as he set his case down on the table next to me. He clicked his tongue. Two men, who I recognized from the boat that trapped me, came into the room. One pressed a button on the wall, and the water started draining from the tank. I gulped and tried to look around for anything I could use to defend myself. I couldn't shift when I'm injured, so running was not an option.

Once the water has drained. The glass around me sank into the floor, and the bottom where I sat lifted up to be around a waist-height table. The two men surged forward and held my arms down, strapping them securely to the table. I hissed as the straps came into contact with my skin. Based on the sting, I could tell that they were either rubbed down with oak or infused with it. Oak was the only thing merpeople couldn't stand. It was like silver for a werewolf: painful and deadly. How they knew, I didn't know.

They started ripping my bandages off, leaving my burns throbbing. My captor, who I remembered the men called Briggs, tugged on some thick rubber gloves and flipped the lid off the briefcase. I shuddered and struggled when I saw the oak leaves, knives, and scientific tools inside.

No, no, no.

I thrashed as the oak leaves were rubbed against my tail. When they were finally retracted, I was left heaving and struggling to think straight. My instincts were telling me to run, run, run.

"Well, What a nice start." Briggs peered over at his face. "Now the real fun begins."

I gritted my teeth as he started his work.

~~~~~

Nathaniel

I was halfway home from driving my cousin when I realized I'd forgotten my phone at the center. I groaned and made a sharp u-turn, heading back in the direction of the center. I was driving my jeep, which I'd bought to transport sea animals to and from the ocean for the center. A big tank covered half the back, and the rest was space for supplies and animals who didn't need to be in the tank.

The sun was setting when I pulled up to the center. I grabbed my keycard and keyring and made my way through the empty center. I swiped my card to unlock the door to my uncle's lab, noticing the guard wasn't there. In fact, no one was there. Usually, at least two or three people would stay at night in case one of the animals got sick or hurt somehow. I shrugged it off, opening the door.

It was pitch black, so I ran my hand along the wall to find the switch for the lights. "Hey, Douglass. Forgot something. I'll be back out in a second."

I got a groan in response. I found the switch and turned the lights on, momentarily blinded. I blinked a couple of times, then grabbed my phone and shoved it in my pocket.

"So, I was thinking-" I turned around and gasped.

Douglass was laying on a metal table, the tank was gone, with cuts, burns, and rashes running up his body. I rushed for him, extremely worried.

"Oh my god, what happened? Holy shit, my uncle did this, didn't he?"

Douglass looked at me with hooded eyes. "I need to get to the ocean." His voice was hoarse like he'd been screaming. He probably had been.

I nodded and ran to the supply room, looking for something I could roll him to my car on. My eyes landed on a cart that carries cleaning supplies. That'll have to do.

I shoved the stuff off the top and bottom shelves and ran back to the lab. I cut the straps off his arms and tail, wincing as he hissed in pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We need to get you on this cart."

He deadpanned. "You expect me to sit on that?"

"For someone who just said they need to get in the ocean and is about to, you seem to be doing a whole lot of complaining." He rolled his eyes but slid himself off the table and onto the cart. He barely fit, and the fin of his tail was almost fully on the floor. I tried pushing, but one of the plastic wheels snapped and broke, sending Douglass tumbling to the floor. "Okay, plan B."

I hooked one arm under his tail, and the other around his waist. He yelped but put his arms around my neck. I grunted at his weight— he was really heavy. I pushed the door open with my foot and carried him to my Jeep. He hardly fit in the back, and I had to open the rear window for his tail to stick out. Luckily, it was dark and there was usually no one on the roads leading to the beach at night.

He grunted as the car jolted forward, running over the curb. I cursed. "I forgot to put it in reverse."

He huffed but kept quiet. I was so happy the beach was only a mile from the center. When we were halfway there, I heard the screeching of tires and gunshots.

"Um, there are three cars chasing us."

I looked in my side mirror. "Yeah, I see them. Hold on to something, this is going to get a little rough."

He started to question me, but I floored it. We shot forward, jolting over the bumps and cracks in the road until we pulled into the sand of the beach.

"Almost there..." The car wouldn't go forward anymore. "Dammit! We got stuck in the sand."

Douglass shouted, and gunshots echoed through the night. I scrambled out of the car and opened the back. I could see headlights getting close. I heaved Douglass up, hauling ass to the ocean.

"I'm so fired," I muttered.

I was knee-deep in the water when my shoulder gave a spike of pain. I shouted, dropping Douglass into the water. He caught me when I fell forward. He looked at my shoulder and growled. His eyes were burning, lighting up his face slightly.

"I need you to relax and to trust me." I hardly managed to nod. "Don't panic, please."

All I heard before I blacked out was the high pitched thrill of a whistle.