“I don't think she was a real mermaid,” Emily suddenly blurted, realizing why the voice seemed wrong.
“She sure looked like one,” disagreed Charlie.
“Well, when do things have to look like themselves around here?” Emily asked in her normal tone. She cocked her head, the mermaid side taking over again. “Her voice, gone now. I hear others... they are happy about sisters returning, and yet sad, and scared. Because of sister lost. And bloodsuckers. Bad.” The way Emily spoke was if she were with the other mermaids, listening to them speaking.
“Why don't we get outta here,” reminded Charlie, eager to get Emily away from the water. “I'm sure our help is needed elsewhere.”
She followed him out of the cave. As soon as they had cautiously hiked back across the narrow path and aimed back towards town, Charlie took a moment to check his phone. Thirteen voicemails and twenty-three missed calls.
He dialed Michael.
“Where the ...” Charlie cut him off.
“Let's just say you’re not the only one with a mermaid problem, and I have your girlfriend with me.”
“Emily! She's with you! Oh thank God!” Michael took a deep breath, suddenly feeling as though he had been forgetting to breathe.
“She's fine, Michael. Other than the whole being a mermaid thing. Where are you?”
“Just leaving Mr. Jordan's place actually. He's working on a cure for Emily, and frankly, I don't know if it’s going to work. Besides that, William and Melinda just called. We appear to have a much larger bloodsucker problem than we initially thought.”
“Where are they?”
“Beach on the north side, just down the street from a fishing pier. You know the one. Dad took us there all the time when we were little.”
“Oh, yeah, I know it. We're heading that direction then.”
“I'll meet you there, and Charlie, please don't let Emily back into the water.”
“Don't worry, Bro. Already on top of that.”
##
“This is going to get messy,” warned Melinda. They had decided that the only way to keep the bloodsuckers on the beach was to blow one up, thus keeping them attracted to the blood and on the beach, rather than slipping back into the water and popping up somewhere else. They also hoped this would attract any lingerers still in the water to join the rest on the crowded beach.
Melinda focused on one of the bloodsuckers and held her palm, face out, firmly in front of her. She shot off an energy ball, which hit it straight on blowing it up into chunky, bloody bits. Frenzy ensued. The bloodsuckers fought each other to get to the bloody bits first.
Melinda shuddered at the sight. She took a quick glance at the barrier she had created at the back of the beach. It looked to be holding steady. Only she and William would even know it was there, as the barrier mirrored what the beach should look like, rather than what it did look like currently. It ran the length of the sandy beach and stood about twenty feet high, so no one could accidentally see over it.
“I think you need to blow up another one,” William told her. “They are getting restless.”
“Already? Geesh. Haven't these things ever heard of chewing?” She shot off another spell, followed by another and another. “There, that's three. That should keep them busy for a little while.”
“Hopefully long enough for us to come up with a plan to kill them all.”
“I could just sit here and take them out one by one if I have to, I guess,” Melinda said.
“If you start a one-at-a-time mass killing, some will inevitably get away. We could spend days if not weeks searching them out again.”
“Yeah. You're right.” She took a side-glance at him, noticing a bit of wildness in his eyes. “Is the blood too much?”
“The blood is strong, but thankfully not human or I would quite honestly have to leave... or eat,” he added in a vampiric tone.
Melinda trembled at the thought of witnessing William on an unstoppable rampage.
Just then, a familiar voice hollered onto the beach from behind.
“I can't imagine blood, from actual bloodsuckers, to be very appetizing.”
“Charlie!” returned Melinda, relieved at seeing him. “And Emily,” she added, surprised to see her following him. “I thought you were with Michael?”
“Um, I kinda swam away,” she bit her tongue as if embarrassed and in trouble.
“What are you wearing?” Melinda asked her. “Isn’t that... I had that in a giveaway pile at the house.”
“Long story,” Emily said, her gaze wandering out to the ocean.
Melinda turned to Charlie. “So where have you been?”
“Also a long story, but short version, had a bit of mermaid mayhem of my own.”
“Is this entire island going bonkers?” Melinda said in disbelief.
“I'll fill you in later,” he promised. “Looks like we've got a pretty nasty situation on our hands,” he noted, glancing at the bloodsuckers.
“Melinda has been keeping them busy,” William explained.
She proceeded to blow up another bloodsucker, causing a new fighting frenzy over the newest bloody bits. “See. Fun, huh? One at a time isn't going to work, though,” she said. “We need a way to kill them all, simultaneously.”
“Emily!” someone shouted.
“Michael,” she called back, seeing him enter the beach.
He raced forward wrapping his arms around her.
“You know you're killing me, right? Do you suddenly have some penchant for getting into life-threatening trouble?”
“I do seem to be rather prone to it lately, huh? Sorry,” she said, batting her eyes at him. It was impossible for Michael to stay angry, especially as her long blue locks started to sway, hypnotizingly.
“Enough of that for one day,” stated Charlie. “No mesmerizing anyone,” he chided humorously.
“Sorry,” Emily apologized, shrugging cutely. “Couldn't help it.”
Michael’s skin flushed. “If I wasn’t so worried about time running out, I’d be taking full advantage of this situation,” he whispered.
She giggled, stopping when he swooped in and kissed her. “Just stay by my side,” he pleaded in her ear. “I don't want to lose you again.”
She nodded that she understood.
“So, is there any plan on how to get rid of these things yet?” Michael asked. “Mack is having trouble keeping people off the beach... local reporters and the like.”
“I put up a barrier,” Melinda said. “But no. No real plan yet. But we need to hurry before they all decide to plop back in the water and move on.”
“Speaking of reporters,” spoke William in a low, irritated voice. “Excuse me a moment.” He darted to the back of the beach.
“Oh. My. God! They're climbing trees now!” Melinda said, pointing. “They've always got to try and get a snapshot.”
“You can't blame them for trying,” said Michael. “I mean, it keeps tourists coming back. It's good for business...” seeing Melinda's hot tempered face he added, “Not that I condone it of course.”
William returned a moment later. “Reporter suddenly found himself on the ground, didn't know what hit him. Mack's got him now. But I was nice. I let him keep the camera. He had taken only one, very blurry shot.” He was matter of fact in his tone.
“Nicely done,” winked Melinda.
“So,” started Charlie getting back to the issue of the bloodsuckers, “any ideas how to...”
A disturbing scream echoed across the water and onto the beach.
Emily covered her ears as if to block out a terrible noise and started to shake, frightened.
“Sisters,” she cried out in angst. Once again, she left Michael's side and darted through the bloodsuckers to the water's edge. He grabbed after her but she was too fast. “My sisters, they're dying!” she shouted back. “I must help.” She ran into the water, diving, her legs and feet transforming as the salt water absorbed into her skin.
“Wow...” uttered M
elinda, upon seeing her friend swim away.
Michael followed her, but stopped at the water's edge. He didn't even bother shouting her name, but rather put his hand to his head in complete frustration.
An eddy of blood swirled to the surface.
It took but a moment for the bloodsuckers to smell it.
Just seconds later a mass evacuation began as the bloodsuckers slithered back into the water, fighting to be the first ones to reach the trail of blood.
Michael rejoined Charlie, Melinda and William.
“We have to do something. Now!” Michael shouted, his chest heaving. “I'd like to at least still have a girlfriend when this day ends, even if she is a mermaid!”
“This is very bad,” Melinda muttered, holding her hand to her mouth, fearing she might be ill. “Those poor mermaids... they're all going to die,” she stopped when she saw Michael's face.
“Not on my watch,” spoke Charlie decidedly. He jogged to the shore stepping into the water, diving in to have a look. Not far ahead, he saw a frenzy of bloodsuckers and mermaids.
On the beach, William’s gaze turned deadly.
“You guys deal with the ones in the water. I will take the beach...” He sprung into the air sailing twenty feet away, letting out an enraged snarl as he landed. He took hold of a bloodsucker and with his bare hands, grasped its mouth, tearing it right down the middle.
Melinda took in a quick breath at the sight. Any show of William's strength always gave her pause.
Charlie snapped her out of it, yelling for her and Michael. They worked their way to the water’s edge.
Emily's head popped out of the water next to Charlie's.
“Two sisters injured, but they got away.”
Charlie nodded that he had heard her.
“We know what to do,” Emily continued. “My sisters can stop them. But they need time to gather.”
She never stopped moving the entire time she spoke, swimming nimbly through the churning currents, avoiding the bloodsuckers and the blood trails swirling around them.
“This blood does not belong to my sisters,” she went on to say. “They found a dead shark and are using its blood to attract the creatures. It’s basically a war down there!”
“Sounds like we need a distraction then,” said Charlie. “And nothing attracts a bloodsucker like more blood.” He turned to see Michael and Melinda stepping into the water.
“Don’t come in any deeper,” advised Charlie. “Use that dingy,” he said, pointing.
Michael raced to the dingy to see if the paddles were inside. They were. He untied it, while Charlie explained to Melinda what he wanted them to do.
Michael dragged the dingy over to Melinda. He froze for a second when he saw her picking up chunks of bloodsucker, barehanded.
“This is so totally the grossest thing I have ever done,” she said hotly, as she threw the bits into the dingy.
“Yeah, I kind of have to agree with you on that one, Sis,” Michael said, helping her. Once full, they hopped into the dingy and paddled out, meeting Charlie.
“Wow. You two are covered...”
“Shut up, Charlie,” Melinda and Michael said at once.
Melinda took a bloody chunk and threw it in the water.
Emily dragged Charlie away from the boat as the bloodsuckers began racing mercilessly towards the bloody chunks.
Melinda and Michael hoped their frenzied movements wouldn’t capsize the boat.
“So what is the plan?” Charlie asked Emily.
“My sisters will use their sonic call to kill them. The only problem is, it will also kill everything else living in the water nearby.”
“I think I can help there,” said Charlie. “We can put up a barrier, like we did on the beach, which should keep the sonic call within its confines.”
“I tell sisters,” Emily said, her voice now sounding mermaidish again. She did not leave, however, but rather went silent. After a moment, she smiled at Charlie. “They agree. They think will work. They gather now, just below, as creatures surround boat.”
Charlie shouted the plan to Michael and Melinda, telling them to keep the bloodsuckers busy as long as possible. He cast his under water breathing spell and dove alongside Emily, instantly impressed and awed by what he saw. Hundreds of mermaids all gathered, joining hands in a large circle, which surrounded all of the bloodsuckers.
He knew there were many mermaids in the area, but had no idea just how many there truly were. He saw the two that had tricked him earlier. They swam closer, looking forlorn.
“We are sorry, Charlie Howard.”
“Yes, sorry,” the second one sang.
Their voices were musical, yet as clear to him as though speaking on dry land.
“We do not like to hurt.”
“No. Not like. The mean one...”
“Forced us.”
“It's okay,” Charlie spoke back, into his air bubble. “I get that it wasn't your fault.” He was still not entirely clear on what had really happened, but it did at least seem clear that these two mermaids did not wish him any harm.
They each leaned in, kissing his cheeks. This made it hard to stay angry, or on task. They giggled and swam away, rejoining the line their sisters were creating around the bloodsuckers. Once the line was completed, Emily gave Charlie a nod.
He cast his spell.
The barrier started as a glass-like shimmer forcing its way from the ocean floor, up to the surface. It surrounded them in an impenetrable bubble.
“You must get out of the water,” Emily shouted, now sounding like herself again. “The sonic call will kill you, too.”
Charlie wondered if his ring would protect him, but decided not to test it and surfaced immediately, swimming toward the dingy, his body thumping against swarming bloodsuckers.
Michael pulled him into the dingy while Melinda plunked her last bloody chunk into the water. They paddled into shore, William grabbing hold of the dingy pulling them out of the water as Charlie explained what was happening below the surface.
“Brilliant!” William replied fervidly. His eyes dancing with wild abandon. “This should work splendidly.”
Charlie could not help but choke out a laugh as he looked over the beach. “Looks like you had some fun yourself there, William.”
It looked like a bloody massacre had occurred. Torn apart bloodsucker parts strewn everywhere.
William craned his neck and stretched his arms. “Guess I had a little energy to burn.”
“If you’ve got that much energy to burn, you need to find yourself a girlfr...” William cut him off.
“Do not finish that sentence,” he stated emphatically.
Melinda shifted uncomfortably.
“Ah, it’s starting,” William added. He heard the sonic call begin.
They looked across the water, seeing nothing.
Then, ripples began to rise to the surface.
Bloodsuckers started to let out screeches that were most unpleasant to behold. A few strays headed toward the beach, but were confronted by Charlie's barrier and found they could not escape.
The mermaids held their line, tightly, with mouths open wide. A human ear could not hear their sonic cry.
“It's remarkably beautiful as it is haunting,” William whispered.
Within minutes, bloodsuckers started to float to the surface, dead.
It had worked. The mermaids had succeeded.
Michael kept his gaze searching for Emily, hoping she would reappear when it was over. There remained just a couple short hours until sunset.
“She'll come back,” Charlie said, patting his back.
“I don't even know how to feel right now. I'm freaking out that she won't come back. I'm freaking out that she will, but I won't have any way to undo what happened. And... I'm totally proud of her. She was amazing today!”
“She was amazing!” agreed Charlie with ease.
He released the magical barrier in the water, the bodies of the bloodsuckers sinking below
the surface.
While Michael waited near the shore for his girlfriend, Charlie, William and Melinda filled in the gaps of their day. Something nagged in Charlie's mind when it came to the vengeful mermaid that had wanted his ring, but he did not dare say it aloud; his theory would have to wait for a better moment to explain. He wished he could speak with the mermaids again, to clear up a few questions he had about the one that had wanted his ring.
Melinda twisted her head as a vehicle pulled onto the edge of the beach.
“It's Mr. Jordan,” noted Michael, his voice anxious.
The sheriff walked down behind him.
“Seeing as he’s trying to help ya, I let him through,” she said, adding, “Deputies are here now, keepin’ the reporters and camera-happy's at bay.” She finally caught her first glimpses of the bloody beach. “Whoa, would ya look at that! What a mess. Is it done?”
“Yeah, Mack. It's done,” said Charlie.
“I'd better call the cleaners then,” she said, disappearing to make a phone call, once again.
“As hard as my job can be,” said Melinda, “I don't think I'd want the cleaner’s job.”
“Our jobs would be so much harder without them,” Charlie noted. “Can you imagine if we didn't have professional cleaners, willing to keep what they do a secret?” he asked in a quieter voice.
“It comes to mind that I would most likely do the cleaning up,” said William.
“Well, you are the fastest,” Melinda returned.
“And the best,” William added. “But even I would not want to clean up this mess... the blood...”
Michael's attention was on Mr. Jordan.
“I am afraid I have found nothing new since our last conversation,” Mr. Jordan was saying.
Michael's hope was fading. There seemed to be no solution to returning Emily to her human status.
“Perhaps I should return to my study,” offered William. “There's still a couple hours until sunset. We are not yet out of time.”
Just then, at the water's edge, a mass exodus began. This time, however, it was not bloodsuckers, but mermaids.
Michael raced down searching for Emily. He found her, helping her get dry. Once so, she walked with him onto the sandy beach.
“They all wanted to come ashore,” she explained. “Some of them have not been on land in many years,” she added. Michael grasped Emily's hand, unwilling now to let go.
Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Page 25
