After an agonizingly long and anxiety-filled waiting period, the outside of the apartment was finally free of the giant lizard-like creatures. Noel and Caleb were so relieved at the end of this immediate danger that they felt like they could just collapse on the spot and rest until their heartrates returned to normal, but there was no time for that. Immediately after making sure things were clear outside, the turtle went on to brief the two of them on what they were to do for the plan. Specifically, how they were to find the rifts and destroy them, as well as what to equip themselves with for the task.
“Like I said, these are biologically generated rifts. I mention this because I saw them form a protective layer over the rifts as they were creating them. Obviously this is to prevent them from imploding due to any kind of disturbance. Since these protective layers are also biologically generated, they’re expected to allow any living thing to be able to pass through when using the rifts. But not only that, they also consist of a similar substance that makes up the skin of living beings such as ourselves. Very unlike the substance that makes up the thing surrounding the area you put me in before.”
The turtle glanced in the direction of the fish tank and pointed at it with one of its fins as it said this. Both Noel and Caleb understood what it was trying to say and so the latter asked, “If these protective layers surrounding the rifts are like skin on animals, does that mean what ruptures skin can also rupture the layers and therefore enable us to destroy the rifts?”
“That’s right, so the question of how to inflict enough damage on them until they implode probably won’t be a hard one to answer. What will be though, is how to get to any of the rifts in the first place. No doubt there’s going to be countless amounts of my kind swimming around in the waters, so I cannot emphasize enough on the importance of stealth. We will indeed fight back if we must, but for the most part we must not draw attention to ourselves by picking fights.”
“I can’t agree more with that last part.” Noel replied. “I mean, the ones we’ve already seen so far are bloody huge, we can’t pick a proper fight with anything of that size.”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure they won’t take kindly to one of their own going against them.” Caleb added with a look of concern for the turtle. “You think you’ll be alright with that?”
“I know exactly what I’m doing, and I’m not afraid of it either. Of course I’m doing it for you two, but I must admit I’m also doing it for what they’ve done to my family and so many others I’ve known. This is personal about as much as it’s for protecting an innocent species from extinction.”
Seeing a sort of determined glint in the turtle’s eyes as it said this, Caleb added, “Survival of the fittest, my ass!” nodding in agreement.
“Yes, indeed… and speaking of survival, seeing how many rifts there are out there, we also need to work out the issue of food and shelter. As for the latter I think we can do with finding underwater caves and such, and in the case of food… you may not find this idea very desirable considering your kind’s diet from what I’ve seen so far, but when we’re out there you’ll have no choice but to-“
“Oh man!” Both Noel and Caleb cringed and frowned, knowing very well the turtle was about to tell them they’d have to resort to eating marine flora and/or fauna like fish or seaweed on their way, with no method of preparing them in a more traditionally edible form.
“Yes, I know – perhaps it’ll be possible for me to add some more minor tweaks to your body so that you’ll be able to stomach such things better than you normally would, but I figured I’d have to let you know of this in advance.”
“Thanks a lot.” Caleb muttered half sarcastically.
The conversation topic eventually turned to the kind of equipment they would need for the task. First off they discussed what they would use to carry the equipment with them, and it didn’t take them long at all to come to an agreement.
“It wouldn’t matter if they’re waterproof or not, so let’s just pick out the sturdiest ones we have.” Noel pointed out while rummaging in the closets for backpacks of any sort. During this, she also inadvertently came across some of her swimwear that she kept in there.
Momentarily pausing what she’d been doing, Noel stared at the suits while briefly lost in some mildly trivial thought. If they really were going to be treading water for presumably a long time, would it do her any good, or at least feel less uncomfortable to wear one of those under her clothes?
She took a quick glance inside her shirt at her bra, thinking about how much she hated the feel of wet underwear sticking to her chest. Then saying to herself, “That’s gonna be the least of our issues when we’re out there, why am I even having these thoughts?” she resumed looking for the best backpack options for them – albeit not without giving the swimwear a few more glances still.
Meanwhile Caleb was looking around in the kitchen for plastic containers which they figured would be useful for temporarily storing foodstuffs, as well as safely carrying around knives for eating. They had also discussed the topic of weapons for self-defense and destroying the rifts if they found them, and in the end the best weapons they could think of using were knives and harpoons. After all, they were the easiest kind to both find and use, and if the rifts’ protective layers could be ruptured with the same things that were capable of rupturing skin, they figured stabbing through them with knives would be enough to get the task accomplished.
Eventually, after a few minutes of searching, Caleb was able to find two plastic containers big enough for two kitchen knives to fit in with no hassle. Muttering to himself, “Jackpot…” he added them to the collection of some smaller containers he had laid out on the kitchen table just as Noel came to him with two large backpacks in hand.
“Found any we can use?” She asked, and Caleb nodded, adding, “As for harpoons, no doubt we’ll find some useful ones for us to take once we go down to the docks on our way into the ocean, so yeah, keep that in mind.”
Noel placed the backpacks on the kitchen table to pack up the plastic containers and the knives, then said, “Looks like the only thing left to prepare is ourselves.” She glanced down at her own legs as she said this, wondering to herself when the next time she’d ever see or use them again will be.
There was a brief pause between the two of them as they finished packing before Noel spoke up again, “You scared about going out there?”
“Admittedly yes, but there’s nothing else for it, is there? No turning back, no alternatives.” Muttered Caleb, trembling a little.
Noel sighed deeply and said, “Same here.”
Caleb nodded at that, slinging one backpack over his shoulders while Noel did the same with the other one. “Guess that means we’re ready to finally go?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be…” Noel muttered with a slight quiver in her voice. “As I guess you are too?”
Caleb cleared his throat loudly as if it would help conceal the fear from his own voice and said, “Yeah… let’s not drag this thing out for longer than it should, let’s just get this over with when we still feel like we can.”
Noel picked up the turtle in her hand and asked, “You think you’ll be alright with me carrying you like this until we get to the seaside?”
“It’s not like we have any other methods, so I can deal with it.”
“Then let’s go.” Said Noel, her voice still quivering but not without determination this time. She held the turtle securely in her hand and opened the front door, stepping outside for what seemed like the last time in a long while, if not their whole lives.
Caleb followed close behind and locked the front door as they left, to which Noel asked him, “I don’t see what even is the point of that when there’s nobody around to rob it.”
Come to think of it, there wasn’t really any reason for Noel to draw attention to something like that at all, but she did anyway because she felt like she couldn’t stand the tension of what lay ahead of them and needed to let it go it in any way possible. Nevertheless, Caleb replied, “Force of habit.” while wearing the face of a person who was relieved to have been asked that.
Noel assumed Caleb was also feeling the same as she was, so she thought she might was well do both of them a favor and kept up the conversation, “Old habits do die hard, don’t they?”
“Yes they do.” Caleb helped her keep it up all while waiting for the elevator and riding it down to the first floor. Once there, Noel asked, “Don’t suppose we can ride our bikes all the way to the docks, huh? You know, to get there faster…”
Caleb glanced at the bikes they had parked right in front of the apartment’s doors because they couldn’t be bothered to carry them all the way up to the twelfth floor again during the last time they had headed outside. “I guess we can…” He muttered, before looking at the turtle for what it had to say about it.
“I don’t know how those things called bikes operate, but judging by the way you say you can ride them, as well as their appearance, I ought to say they could draw too much attention to ourselves if we do use them to get to the seaside.”
“But I thought you said those creatures had gone away several moments ago.” Said Noel.
“Over here they have, but I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to say the same for our way to the sea. There could still be a few of them lurking around in other places, so we can’t afford to risk it.”
“Meaning we’ll have to walk all the way over there?” Caleb asked in scared disbelief.
“We will indeed have to walk, but not to worry – since I can sense where and when my kind are coming near, I’ll use that to warn you as we all make our way to the sea. If one of them can be sensed coming just around the corner, you listen to me and hide and quickly as you can. Even when there’s none in sight, do your best to remain hidden. Stay away from wide open areas, and don’t slow down for anything! Understand?”
The idea of sneaking their way to the ocean while avoiding being potentially spotted by those smaller-than-normal but still monstrous creatures roaming about was anything but not worrisome. However, Noel and Caleb both reminded themselves what they had signed up for was a do-or-die mission anyway, and this was only the beginning. So despite feeling tons more nervous than they did the other night in their beds, they told the turtle in unison, “We got it.” And braced themselves.
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“I can’t sense any more outside right now, so best to get a move on right now. Let’s go!”
Like marathon runners hearing the starter pistol go off, Noel and Caleb came out from behind the staircase and began running as fast as they could out the apartment doors. They only stopped to hide behind parked cars and check if the coast was clear, but other than that they found themselves fully sprinting all the way to the apartment complex’s front gates. Already they were panting by the time they got there and ran out into the streets, but they didn’t even stop to catch their breath. Perhaps it was the danger of monsters lurking around the place, but Noel and Caleb didn’t seem to grow even the slightest bit tired from all their running. In fact, their hearts were beating like drums against their chests more from fear and anxiety than anything.
Once out on the streets, they resorted to running on the sidewalks and stopping every now and then to hide either in narrow alleyways or inside the nearest abandoned establishments, before checking to see if it was safe enough and resuming their running.
“I never felt this much terror from hiding from monsters in an abandoned town ever since that time I played Silent Hill for my Youtube channel.” Caleb whispered. “In fact, this is worse…”
“At least games have the benefit of not killing you in real life if your character dies.” Noel replied half-sarcastically, but only because she felt like they needed the levity after that intense moment.
Caleb managed a soft snort through his nose while Noel peeked out from behind the counter of an empty café they had temporarily taken refuge in to rest a bit, asking the turtle, “Is it safe to get moving again or not?”
“Wait a moment while I try to detect any of them nearby, then we can move.”
A minute after that conversation had passed, and soon they were running again. It was also worth mentioning that by the speed in which they were moving towards the seaside, they figured it would probably be something like midday by the time they reached their destination, so before they left the café they nicked a bit of food from the kitchen to store in their backpacks.
While passing through yet another narrow alley, Caleb commented on this, saying, “Guess it’s kind of a relief that our town’s electricity hasn’t been cut off after all this time.”
“Not that we’re gonna need it when we’ll be 20 thousand leagues under the sea starting from today.” Noel muttered. She and Caleb then peeked their heads out from the other end of the alley to check if the streets were clear, then they ran out before stopping to hide again in an electronics store. There, Caleb added, “I’m sure gonna miss my feet and legs when they’ll be replaced with a fish tailfin for lord knows how long.”
In spite of herself, Noel couldn’t hold back a huff of laughter in agreement. “To think that as a small child I always thought being a mermaid would be fascinating, and now that I could become one for real I’m so nervous of it.”
“We’ll just have to see what we make of it when it happens, since it’s inevitable.” Caleb replied. “As well as get used to it.”
* * *
As they had predicted, the sun was at its highest in the sky when they finally reached the seaside. Noel and Caleb took a moment to fill themselves up with the food they had took from the café after hiding in a convenience store near the docks. Unfortunately they didn’t have anything for the turtle, so it told them it would find something for itself after they made it to the water, and for now it stood guard on the counter for them, hidden behind a circular rack of Chupa Chups.
“Nothing seems to be nearby at the moment, we can do it if we make a run for the water now.”
Finishing the last of the food right as they heard the turtle say this, Noel and Caleb slung their backpacks back onto their shoulders and gritted their teeth. This was it, the inevitable moment. There truly was no turning back now, if they ever had any intention to turn back.
In a final attempt to rid themselves of nervousness with some levity, Caleb whispered to Noel, “Dad always told me never to go into the water within an hour after eating…” to which she replied, “Guess we’ll have to make an exception this time…”
Their penultimate stop once they rushed out of the convenience store was the dock’s storehouse. Sure enough, the place did indeed contain plenty of harpoons for them to take. Noel and Caleb took a few moments inside the storehouse to get themselves used to the harpoons by trying to use them like spears in case of self-defense. They were well aware using them on land wouldn’t be anywhere near the same as using them underwater, but the practice still brought them the slightest sense of reassurance, and they needed it now more than ever.
When they were done with getting the hang of their selected harpoons, they ran out onto one of the piers and climbed down to the lower parts of it where they’d be hidden from sight, as well as allow the turtle to do its stuff.
“Okay, we’re ready to get this started.” Noel took a deep breath and sat down on the wet wooden planks with Caleb. “The sooner we get it over with the better!”
“I know you don’t feel all that pleasant about the procedure, it’s understandable. But I still need you two to remain calm the best you can so I can properly do my job.”
“Easier said than done…” Caleb said to himself, but still appreciated the advice enough to start taking in deep, long breaths in an attempt to ease his nerves. Noel did the same beside him.
“Okay, here it comes.”
Noel and Caleb clenched their eyes shut upon hearing the turtle’s words. If they were going to go through this, they should at least be allowed to not watch it happen. They didn’t even want to imagine what was going on with their legs as they felt them go numb before seemingly getting mashed together like two wads of Playdoh, while their feet felt like they were being stretched out flat with a rolling pin. Not only that, they simultaneously felt something in their chests go all tingly as if a pair of ghostly hands were fondling their internal organs. Their skin and eyes felt it too, though not as much as their chest. Last but not least, they heard the sounds of ripping fabric, meaning their lower garments were no longer fit for the changes taking place (though their shirts of course still remained intact).
Surprisingly, all of this ended within just a couple of seconds after it had started. But as it was also pretty intense as much as it was brief, Noel and Caleb couldn’t help but shiver and pant heavily once it was all done and they felt it was safe enough to open their eyes.
Admittedly, Noel couldn’t believe what she was seeing and feeling at first even though she fully knew what to expect. To see her own legs now turned into one long, scaly, flexible limb with a fish-like fin attached to the end of it was a weird feeling indescribable by words. She felt like someone had surgically removed her legs to replace it with something completely otherworldly and now she wasn’t even human anymore.
From the way he was bending his tailfin in angles he never would have managed with legs and cautiously touching the teal-colored scales on it, Noel figured Caleb was thinking the same thing and was just about to say something to him when she noticed another change had taken place on him and exclaimed, “Caleb, your hair!”
Caleb turned to look at Noel upon hearing her and was just as taken aback as her at what greeted his eyes. “My hair? What about yours!”
“Huh?” Noel grabbed a handful of her long hair to see what was wrong with it and was shocked to see it had turned from its original red color to a shade of dark blue, the same color as her tailfin. Caleb’s hair was also a color that matched his own tailfin, as he tried to see this for himself by pulling his front hair down with his hand and rolling his eyes upwards as far as they would go.
“Oh, about that, my apologies for not telling you in advance – since your hair colors were a rather stark contrast to the blue of the water, I had to change it to a color that would blend more with the surrounding environment. We ARE supposed to not draw attention to ourselves, after all.”
Noel picked up the turtle in her hands, which was pretty limp and tired from shapeshifting two humans into half-fish on its own, and said, “Well, it’s true we were pretty shocked since we didn’t see it coming, but I suppose it’s not a big deal… it was for our own good, like you said.”
“Wouldn’t have hurt to tell us that BEFORE changing us, but it’s cool.” Caleb agreed with a shrug.
“Right… as for your tailfins, can you move them around just fine? Nothing wrong with them?”
Noel and Caleb tried flexing their tailfins this way and that, and after doing so they thought it would be best to test them out underwater rather than on land. The turtle heard their thoughts on this and agreed with it, allowing them to slide themselves into the water fully submerged, backpacks, harpoons and all.
Once underwater, Noel and Caleb found it to be much easier to move their tailfins around, so they told the turtle through their minds that they seemed fine for now.
“That’s good. And, uh… you do know you can breathe underwater now too, right?”
Out of basic instinct, Noel and Caleb had been holding their breaths while testing out their tailfins in the water. Once they were reminded of what they were now capable of by the turtle, they replied, “Sorry, force of habit again.” And dared themselves to breathe in their first underwater breath.
Now that she was a mermaid – that word just seemed to be the best way to describe what she was now – Noel found breathing underwater to be not that different from breathing air. Pretty soon, it started to feel casual for her rather than something alien.
“Boy, do I feel stupid for forgetting we could do this…” Noel heard Caleb mutter in her head and was taken aback again, prompting the turtle to explain this would be their means of communication from now on, since talking verbally underwater wasn’t going to be as easy as doing so on land.
“Hm, guess that makes sense…” Noel thought to herself, thinking back to some childhood memories of herself trying to talk underwater while playing in a pool but finding her words to sound like nothing more than bubbly gibberish.
“Looks like this really is the most efficient form to shapeshift your kind into for treading water…”
“Huh?” Noel and Caleb asked the turtle mentally upon hearing it mutter to itself.
“According to the old stories told throughout generations of my kind, when our worlds connected for the first time, the one who crossed over from mine to yours saved three of your kind from drowning out in the water by changing their forms just like this. Supposedly it was because this was indeed the quickest and most efficient way to make your kind fit an aquatic environment. No doubt my kind got some ideas from that to do what they did this time around…”
“No doubt, yeah…” Thought Noel, looking down at her tailfin and slightly rubbing its dark blue scales. They felt smooth and hard, yet flexible to the touch, almost like plastic.
Seeing this kind of reaction must’ve made the turtle think it had inadvertently turned the situation uncomfortable, because it quickly said something else to them.
“I was just surprised to see such physical forms in action for myself. That’s all, nothing else.”
“Well, that makes all of us, I guess.” Caleb replied, and the turtle nodded its head slowly to that as if out of awkwardness, but quickly composed itself again.
“Excuse me for a moment, I do need to fill up after using up so much of my energy on you two – in the meantime, do try to get more accustomed to your tailfins by practicing swimming with them.”
Noel and Caleb watched the turtle swim off in search of food, with additional assurance that it won’t go far and would be back soon. After that, they began to practice swimming with their tailfins like the turtle had suggested.
Needless to say they weren’t very good at it at first, but like the saying ‘practice makes perfect’, after many moments of trial and error they were starting to get the hang of it.
“This isn’t too bad, in fact it’s not all that different from trying to swim with your legs put together.” Noel thought, which Caleb heard in his mind and replied, “Better actually, because these tailfins are so flexible and can bend whichever way unlike legs.”
“Yeah… we could get used to this.” Noel thought, and despite the situation, exchanged satisfied grins with Caleb at their slow but sure achievement.
Speaking of, they also tried practicing using their harpoons under water when they felt they had the basics down with their tailfins. No surprise, they had to adjust themselves to using them all over again.
“Hopefully we’ll get used to this too, right?” Thought Noel, swishing the harpoon’s blade this way and that through the water the best she could.
“Yeah, hopefully… Though it’s kind of a pity that our clothes are getting in the way of more fluid movement.” Caleb thought, glancing down at his shirt rippling in the water like there was a breeze.
For some reason Noel found herself blushing out of embarrassment at these words even though they weren’t suggesting anything and thought, “What’re you saying, that we should take them off?!”
This made Caleb blush with her as he replied, “I never said that! What were you thinking?!”
“I just thought you-“ But whatever sentence Noel had in mind, she didn’t get to complete it before a loud splash was heard from above their heads. They looked up to see what had caused this noise, and found themselves screaming muffled, bubbly screams in the face of one of the big scaly lizard-esque creatures from earlier that day swimming down on them, its sharp teeth bared.