She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her brother's blank stare—his tiny figure being dragged into the sea by that thing. The scream still echoed in her ears, even though days had passed.
The town had already moved on. They talked about it as just another tragic drowning. People gave her sad looks in public, but no one truly understood. No one saw what she saw.
Her parents had changed too. Her mother cried behind closed doors. Her father stopped talking. The house, once filled with noise, now sat in a dead silence, broken only by the crashing waves outside.
And the sea? The sea acted like nothing had happened. Calm. Quiet. Almost mocking.
But she knew it was hiding something. Something dark.
She tried everything to find answers—searching old records at the local library, checking online forums, even talking to fishermen who'd spent decades on these waters. One old man, with sunburnt skin and clouded eyes, whispered a warning to her one evening.
"Some seas don't give back what they take. And if they do... they return it wrong."
She wanted to ask more, but he walked away, limping into the fog as if he'd said too much.
That night, she stood alone at the shore, staring at the black water. The wind was colder than usual. Sharp. She felt like she was being watched.
Then she heard it again.
That voice.
Faint. Sad. Familiar.
Her skin crawled. She turned to look—but saw nothing.
The voice called again. It was the same one her brother had followed.
This time, she didn't run. She walked toward it.
She followed the sound to the ferry dock—the same place that offered evening boat rides. Tourists still came, looking for pretty views and ocean breezes.
She bought a ticket, acting like one of them. But inside, she knew. She wasn't here to enjoy the sea.
She was answering a call.
As the ferry pulled away from the shore, she felt a strange pull in her chest. The boat moved farther, cutting through the still water until a crumbling sea tower came into view—an old research station left abandoned years ago. Rusted steel and flickering lights were all that remained of whatever project once lived there.
People on the ferry began chatting and pointing at the tower, unaware of what was beneath them.
Then a scream cut through the air.
"There's something in the water!"
Everyone turned.
Floating just beneath the waves was a dark shape—long, human-like... but wrong. Its face surfaced near the boat light.
The mermaid.
Its mouth was full of something—something red and torn.
A hand.
Chaos broke out. People screamed, ran across the deck. The girl couldn't move. Her feet froze as the creature looked straight at her.
And then—just like that—it vanished beneath the water.
Everyone gasped, stunned.
"Where did it go?" someone whispered.
"What was that thing?"
People murmured, panicked and confused. Then—BOOM.
Something hit the ferry from below.
It shook violently. People fell. Another hit.
The engine stalled.
The sea had called her back.
But this time, she wasn't the only one caught in its trap.
_____________To be continued...