A HOUSE SERVANT HUNG over the top of the tank. Mutter was hungry and exhausted. As soon as Ableson had left to get the Guards, he’d stopped slamming into the wall and had gathered Sweet from the bottom, cuddling her close. His stomach rumbled. He stared up at the Servant and then gently placed Sweet on the floor of the tank. He swam upward, jumping and grabbing the old male in his arms. He hit the water, twisted and spun for a second. The Servant never struggled. He began to feed, but the blood was bitter. He let the Servant go. It hung in the water, not floating and not sinking. He retrieved Sweet. Maybe, he’d quit eating. He’d die and then be with her once again. His stomach clenched and his vision began to blur. His head bobbed. Voices tickled his sleep. Light assaulted his eyes but that was impossible. The water was murky, no light allowed to enter. He forced his eyes open.
“Get him out now, we don’t want him to drown like the other one,” said the professor.
The Almightys knew nothing. He slept in the water all the time. A rope drifted near his face. His eyes followed it upward. Two Guards stood at the edge of the tank. Scar held a search light which was pointing down at him. She directed Jorge who lowered the rope.
Mutter grabbed the line and yanked. Jorge screamed as he fell into the water. Mutter burst into the air, knocking Scar into the tank on his way out. Conguise and Ableson stood on the floor near the stairs, staring up at him, their faces whiter than white. The professor was the first to turn and race to the cage door. Ableson was only a few seconds behind, but it was enough. Mutter was faster than they’d thought. He’d grown accustomed to his new feet and how to maneuver on land. He tackled Ableson, slamming the Almighty’s head into the concrete. Blood pooled under Ableson’s skull, but it wasn’t enough. He would tear the Almighty apart. He grabbed Ableson’s arm and twisted until the limb tore from the torso. There was a slight pinch on his chest and his vision blurred as he looked up. Conguise stood in front of him, gun in hand.
The roar of rushing water was the first thing that registered with Mutter as he forced his eyes open. He liked the sound, but something poked at the edge of his conscience that this was bad, not comforting. He was lying on his back, concrete under him, cold and hard. There were bars all around, close, not like before. He turned on his side, his vision still fuzzy and his head groggy. Water swirled down the drain in the floor. Dirty water. His heart picked up pace. His water. His home. He rolled over and pushed himself to his knees.
“He’s awake.” Jorge held the hose attached to the tank, aiming it at the drain in the floor.
“Hmm,” grunted Scar as she lifted a sack.
“You should get”—Jorge nodded toward another sack—“that out of here before he realizes...”
Laddie hefted the other bag over his shoulder, groaning a bit. “Heavier than she looked.”
Mutter’s eyes flew to Laddie. The sack was oblong and the same size as a small Servant. He tried to yell “No” but all that came out was a strangled bark. He was too unsteady to stand so he crawled to the side of the cage closest to Laddie, reaching through the bars and barking his shrill cry, pleading.
“Too late. He knows.” The hose wobbled in Jorge’s hands.
“He doesn’t know anything.” Scar headed toward the door.
“This ain’t right.” Laddie stared at Mutter and their eyes locked.
“Laddie, come on,” said Scar. “It don’t matter if it’s right or not. We have to do what we’re ordered.” She glanced out the door. “Hurry before they come back.”
“It ain’t right,” repeated Laddie as he walked toward Mutter.
“Don’t,” warned Scar.
“Keep watch,” said Jorge. “Let Laddie do this. This…thing was a Guard just like us.”
“Yeah. Well, if we get caught we might take this thing’s place.” Scar glanced down the hallway. “Just hurry up.”
Laddie knelt near the cage, placing the sack on the ground. Mutter strained but still couldn’t reach. He grunted, eyes pleading with the Guard to understand and to move her closer. He waved his flipper.
“Don’t let him get ahold of her,” said Scar.
“Oh, Scar, you worry too much,” said Jorge. “Let him touch her Laddie. What’s it going to hurt?”
“If we can’t get her away from him—”
“I’m not an idiot, Scar. I won’t let him grab her.” Laddie pulled the cloth down exposing Sweet’s face and shifting her a bit closer to the cage.
Mutter grunted again, pressing harder into the bars. He needed her. She was his. Laddie moved the body a little more. She wasn’t close enough for Mutter to grasp and pull close like he wanted, but it was the best he was going to get. He hummed as he stroked her hair. They would take her soon; there was nothing he could do about that. Her pale green eyes were cloudy but they called to him. Stay with me. We belong together.
“They’re coming,” whispered Scar.
“Sorry.” Laddie shifted Sweet’s body away and covered her with the sack. He stood and hefted her over his shoulder. “Sorry,” he said again as he headed toward the door.
Mutter pulled his arm back into the cage as Conguise walked into the room.
“Is that the last of it?” asked Conguise.
Mutter’s lip twitched. She was not an “it”.
“Yes, Professor,” said Scar. “The section is almost full.”
“Already?”
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“The Aranea18 incident left—“
“Of course. Flush it before we clean his tank again.” He faced Mutter. “We should never have let the water get that dirty.” Conguise pulled out his notepad. “Surprised that he’s awake. His metabolism is fast. I’ll increase the sedative but we have to devise a better way to deliver it. I don’t want him to drown.”
Laddie shifted the sack on his shoulder. “Sir, a top on that tank would do the trick. We could drain the water halfway and then shoot him. He wouldn’t be able to jump out of the tank…”
Conguise turned to face the Guard. “A top? That will never work.” He studied the tank and then scribbled in his notepad.
“Of course, sorry.” Laddie followed Scar out the door. She purposely rammed his shoulder with hers as they left the room.
Mutter turned back to watch the remaining water wash down the drain. Sweet would be dumped in the sewer where rats and bugs could eat her. She’d be alone again. She hated being alone.
Soon, the tank was drained and House Servants were sent inside to clean it. Then it was refilled. When it was almost full Laddie and Scar returned. Laddie held a gun.
Conguise handed Laddie a dart. “I increased the dosage. He’ll be out the rest of the evening. Remove the small cage.”
“What do you want done with him?” asked Laddie.
“Leave him there. When he wakes he’ll go back to the tank.” Conguise headed for the door.
“Food?” asked Laddie.
“He seems sad. Don’t feed him until the day after tomorrow. A little hunger should go a long way in curing his depression.” Conguise left the room.
Laddie approached the cage. Jorge and Scar were shoving the rolled up hose into one of the closets outside of the large enclosure.
“Sorry about this.” Laddie raised the gun.
Mutter looked away. It didn’t matter what they did to him any longer. There was a sharp pinch on his shoulder but he didn’t bother to knock the needle out. He just waited for the blackness to bury his pain.
Mutter awoke to quiet. No talking, no breathing, just the hum of the lights. He sat up, his head spinning. He was alone, completely alone. No Almighty sat observing him, or sleeping in the chair. No Guards were in the room. He pulled the dart from his shoulder. His head pounded and his skin itched. He’d been out of the water too long. Memories flooded back into his drugged brain. They’d taken her from him again. He crawled toward the tank, his insides hollow and aching. He leaned against the glass, staring at the path the water had taken. She was down there somewhere, but at least she was free. She’d escaped just like she’d said she would. He sat up. He could go too. He could find her.
He dropped into the water and floated for a few minutes to refresh his dry skin and then he went to where Sweet had hidden the bone. He carried it to the drain in the floor. It took some time to maneuver the bone in his flippers without losing it down the drain but eventually, he was able to unfasten the screws and lift the lid. He took one final dip in the water to remoisten his skin and then he squeezed into the pipe. It was a tight fit but he was slippery and the path was almost straight down. There was one turn where he got stuck but he wriggled and squirmed and someone flushed a toilet or ran water somewhere because it rushed up to him, seeping around him and helping to push him forward. He skidded down the pipe on the remnants of the water and plopped into the sewer.
It was dark, dank and smelly. Mold grew on the walls and things scurried past his feet, but he ignored them. He had to find her. He searched tunnel after tunnel. He had no idea of how much time had passed. It was all one endless nightmare of foul odor and darkness but then she was there, lying on a pile of bones. Rats and small crabs crawled on her skin, feeding.
He roared, racing to her. He stumbled, fell to his knees and crawled the rest of the way, snapping at any creature that dared come near him. Her eyes were almost white now, but they were still green in his memory. He pulled her close, stroking her hair. His vocal cords trembled but he forced a few final words for her. “W..eet. Lo…ve.”
He cradled her close to his chest as he began searching for an exit. Hours passed, maybe days, but he kept walking, trying to locate a hint of fresh air that would lead out. He’d catch a whiff every now and then and would adjust his path. His body ached from carrying her, but he continued moving. He would never leave her again. A roar echoed in the tunnels. He stilled. Water. A lot of water. That much would hit him hard.
He ducked into another tunnel, but the sound was the same. They were flushing the system. Water was coming at him from all directions. He had to find an exit or somewhere to wait out the rush. He wouldn’t drown, but he could get smashed against the walls. He ran, breathing deeply, praying for a trace of fresh air to point him in the right direction and then there it was, just a little, but enough. He pushed himself to run faster. The roar was closer now, the spray of water at his back. The weight of Sweet slowed him down but he would not drop her, not even to save himself. The first wave knocked his legs out from under him. The second blast carried him along, tossing him about. He clung to Sweet as he hit the side of the tunnel and then tumbled and hit the roof. He was spun about like one of his prey and then he slammed into something and darkness swept over him.
When he came to, he was lying on his stomach in a small culvert half-submerged in water. His arms were still wrapped around Sweet. He sat up, coughing. Remnants of the sewer’s trash filled his gills. He used the tip of his flipper to pry it free. Once he could breathe he pulled Sweet close. The Almightys had flushed the system, trying to kill him. Instead, they had set him free, him and Sweet. Now, he’d take her home. He tucked her under his arm, slipping into the water. He moved from culvert to culvert until he found his way into a small stream. It led to the river and that took him to the Lake of Sins.
He placed her in the high grass on the bank and dove under the calm water, searching the hidden crevices and tunnels of the lake for a place that Sweet would like. He settled on a small alcove under the island. He swam to shore and searched the woods, gathering branches and carrying them to the underwater cave.
Once he was done assembling her home, he surfaced and froze. A fox had its face buried in her chest, feeding. He wanted to roar and send it fleeing, but his instincts warred with his temper. He slipped under the water, moving closer. The fox was wary, sensing danger. It kept looking back at land, never suspecting that the danger was only a few feet away, lurking below. He swam a little closer and then jumped from the water. His flippers snatched at the fox but the animal was fast and its fur made it slippery. It let out a yelp, Sweet’s rib bone dropping from its jaws. It raced off into the woods, tail between its legs. He bellowed his rage, but the fox was gone, his dinner gone. He picked up her rib bone, placing it back into her chest and carried her to her new home. He placed her into the crevice, tangling her in the branches. Once she was secure, weariness seeped into his body, making his bones heavy. He held her hand and slept.
A slight ripple in the water stirred him from his rest. There were small fish darting around Sweet, feeding on her. He snapped at them, gobbling up as many as he could catch as he chased them away. He returned to find more nibbling on her eyes and chest. He’d never win. They would eat her until there was nothing left, or he could keep her with him, always a part of him. He kissed her cold lips and then buried his face in her stomach and fed.
He ate until he was full. Then he slept and fed again, until she was no more. All that remained were her bones. He tucked them into the alcove. They’d be safe now. There was nothing left that anything would want and she would be a part of him forever. He placed his flipper on her pile of bones, closing his eyes and remembering every day they’d had together and imagining every day they should have had. He’d rest for a while, gain strength and learn how to catch prey.
Sweet understood. He saw it in her face when he shut his eyes, but he’d made her a promise and one day he’d leave. He’d learn the forest and the hidden passages that led into the city from the Lake of Sins. Eventually, he’d find the one that would lead to Conguise’s lab. It would take time, there were many tunnels but he had nothing else but time….and hatred.