Originally, I was going to start that one-shot collection I mentioned. But I figured I hadn't done anything truly angsty in a while so I had this little idea I had to run with first. I also wanted to do something from Ryn's perspective since all I've done so far was Ben or Maddie.
Yeah, this will probably be some nasty hits in the feels, so prepare yourselves for a bumpy ride. Just bear with it.
Enjoy.
"Damn it." Maddie swore under her breath. "Ben bleeding through. We need to take cover."
"Over there." Ben weakly pointed to a nearby building. From the sculpture outside, Ryn assumed it was one of the many fishing shops that littered Bristol Cove.
Ryn followed closely as Maddie adjusted Ben's arm over her shoulders and led the way to a door. After trying to open it, and discovering it was locked, she motioned the knob. "Ryn?"
Making sure no one else was in sight, Ryn broke the lock with a single kick.
Maddie nodded her thanks while assisting Ben through the now open door. Ryn checked behind them again but found nothing. Still no sign of their pursuers, but they'd had too many close calls already to make the mermaid wary.
Once the trio were behind the counter, Maddie eased Ben to the floor before pointing at the way they came. "Ryn, keep watch on the front."
"Hell of a day, huh?" Ben grinned, despite the pain he must be in.
"Yeah, great day." Maddie's lips lifted in a smile, but Ryn knew how forced it was. "Not every day you get half the U.S. army chasing after you."
"Hey, we're just that special. You okay, Ryn?" Ben leaned forward to see Ryn behind Maddie, but the woman just gently shoved him back while she tended to his leg.
"Sit still, Ben." Maddie scolded, face creased with worry, all previous humor gone.
"I am fine." Ryn answered, reaching over Maddie to put a hand on Ben's shoulder. The mermaid wished she could do more, but she knew nothing of human injuries. Maddie did though, and Ryn trusted her to see to their fellow mate.
While Maddie worked, Ryn never dared cease her vigil. If the human warriors found them again, Ryn and her mates would not be caught unaware.
The heavy scent of blood wafted its way to Ryn's nose. Normally, Ryn would have liked the smell, even found it delectable. Right now, Ryn was disgusted to her very core to knowing it was Ben's.
Maddie let loose a string of swear words Ryn didn't recognize. "The bleeding isn't stopping. Ryn, I need your jacket."
Ryn literally tore the garment off in her haste to hand it over.
"Thanks." Maddie cleared her throat, wrapping the fabric around Ben's shredded leg. The previous cloth around the limb was already soaked through and then some with fresh blood. All the constant moving was making it worse, Maddie had said, but it wasn't like they had a choice.
"Look on the bright side, we could have been… in that car." Ben moaned low in pain as Maddie tightened Ryn's ripped jacket around his leg. "If I hadn't of set it off with the key fob, we'd be dead. I'm just glad the shrapnel hit low."
"Any higher and it would have nicked your femoral artery." Ryn didn't know what Maddie meant by that, but the danger to Ben was obvious. "But I don't get it. If they want Ryn alive, why a car bomb? They'd kill her and us both. It makes no sense."
"Doesn't it?" Ben swallowed hard. "She's not the only mermaid around. If they get her, great. If not, there is literally other fish in the sea. Either way, she's dangerous, and so are we."
"Sorry." Ryn apologized for the third time since this terrible chase had begun. "I brought this."
"Don't you dare." Ben snapped. "None of this is your fault, and we wouldn't be here if we didn't want to be."
"He's right." Maddie smiled, a real one this time. "We chose to be with you, come what may."
Ryn turned her gaze on the humans beside her. Ben was pale, deathly so, and couldn't even walk on his own. Yet, he held his ground, firmly refusing to give up or slow down even with the terrible wound. Maddie was in better shape physically, but the stress was wearing on her. Even so, she remained serene, guiding their group through Bristol Cove while half carrying Ben.
It was no wonder Ryn had chosen these two, over even her own people, to be her mates.
"We need to keep moving." Maddie helped Ben to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulders once more to help steady him. "We can't afford to wait around."
Slipping out another door in the back of the store, mermaid and humans resumed their flight.
Ryn still didn't understand how Bristol Cove was emptied so quickly. She hadn't spent much time in the town, Ryn knew there were many people who called it home. Bristol Cove almost seemed abandoned now.
Perhaps this 'government' held more power than Ryn thought.
Regardless, the lack of inhabitants made traveling the coastal town easier. No one to question why they were passing through their home or property.
The residents of Bristol Cove may have been gone, but other humans had taken their place. At first, Ryn hadn't even realized they were human at all. Their shape was human, but they were covered head to toe in dark clothing that made them completely unlike any other human Ryn had encountered. They carried various items Ryn didn't recognize either, but Ben and Maddie both heavily stressed how deadly their 'rifles' were, and why it was so important to move if one was ever pointed at her.
Ben and Maddie called these humans 'soldiers', but they reminded Ryn more of the warriors among her people. Perhaps these were the human version. If so, they were a threat graver than any other Ryn had encountered on land.
Warrior or soldier, they behaved more like hunters, relentlessly pursuing the trio through Bristol Cove. The only reason they hadn't already been caught, was that they didn't know where Ryn and her mates were. After the car was destroyed earlier, they'd come running, but their quarry had already fled.
So began the chase.
All the hunters knew was that they were in Bristol Cove, and the prey knew how badly the hunters outnumbered them. A stalemate. One that would end quickly should the hunters find their prey.
"S… stop." Ben heaved in breaths. "I need… a break."
Ducking into another back alley, Maddie lowered Ben to the floor. Only then did Ryn see that Maddie had been all but carrying him, the blood once again pouring from his injured limb. In fact, Ryn saw behind them that he'd actually been leaving a trail the way they came.
"Just take it easy, Ben." Maddie lightly patted his cheek, her hands going to his leg. Maddie's previous attempt to stop the flow of blood failing again. "Deep breaths, okay?"
Ryn didn't say it, but her unease settled like a stone in the pit of her belly. There was so much blood back the way they came, and even more running from the wound. Ben was strong, but how much could a human afford to lose before it became too much?
"Deep breaths… sure." Ben's voice was quiet, his eyes sliding closed.
"Hey!" Maddie slapped him, none too gently. "Stay awake."
"I'm up." Ben shot up, eyes fully open again. "I'm up."
"Yeah, you better be." Ryn was amazed Maddie could remain so calm and collected while adjusting the bloody mess Ben's rushed bandage had become. "Pass out again, and I'm making Ryn carry you out of here."
"Hell no." Ben managed to remain defiant, even while bleeding to death and exhausted. "Nobody is carrying me, you're just helping me."
"Sure." Maddie rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."
Maddie was halfway through removing her shirt for another addition when all three heard the voice.
"Don't move!"
Ryn let out an involuntary hiss, her head following the sound. She should have heard them approaching, but Ryn had allowed herself to become distracted.
One approached from one end of the alley, while two more came from the opposite way. Now the hunters had the prey cornered with all avenues of escape cut off.
"Hands up!"
Maddie raised her hands in the air, not knowing what was meant, Ryn copied Maddie. The three soldiers advanced, but Ryn did not miss the way Maddie watched the lone soldier from the corner of her eye.
A single look passed between the two females for a fraction of a second, Maddie's intention clear.
They waited until the hunters were all but beside them. With speed that would make even a mermaid envious, Maddie sprung up at the single hunter. She managed to grab hold of his weapon but was unable to wrench it from his grasp. The act did prevent him from being able to aim.
Outside of the water, Ryn didn't have the use of her claws or even her sharp teeth. Both would have been useful against the hunters, but Ryn's body lacked them while on land. Instead, she had the strength greater than any on land.
When interacting with humans, Ryn needed to be careful about this strength. She'd learned that lesson when she'd accidentally knocked Maddie across the room at Helen's.
Right now, Ryn didn't hold back.
Without teeth or claws, Ryn was forced to be creative. Seizing the lid off a nearby trash can, she hurled the metal disc with all her might. The hunter didn't even have a chance to react before the missile struck him in the abdomen, knocking him clear off his feet.
The second was distracted by the surprise of the attack, allowing Ryn to surge forward and tackle him before he could even consider a counter.
For all their weaponry, the human warriors were oddly fragile. The first had been either knocked out or killed by Ryn's throw, while the second was finished off simply by smashing him into the concrete. As with the first, Ryn didn't care whether they were dead or alive, as long as they posed no more threat.
Ryn was already rising to help Maddie fend off her attacker when she heard the deafening crack from behind her.
Whirling around, Ryn saw Maddie drop to the ground, the third warrior standing over her. Ryn didn't know what happened, but Maddie clutching at her stomach was all the clues Ryn needed.
"Maddie!" Ryn grabbed the metal disc again and threw it. This time, the throw missed her mark but hit the warrior in the arm instead. It didn't eliminate him, but he was deprived of his weapon, allowing Ryn to close the distance.
Taking hold of the warrior's neck, Ryn snapped it with a flick of her wrist. Tossing the lifeless body aside, Ryn hurried over to Maddie.
Recalling what Ben and Maddie had taught her, Ryn immediately put both hands on top of Maddie's to apply pressure. She was careful not to push too hard, but Maddie's bleeding wasn't slowing like it was supposed to, the crimson fluid gushing out around Ryn's fingers.
"Ryn." Maddie's voice was choked with agony, but the woman was trying her hardest not to show it. "You… you need to go."
"No." Ryn growled.
"Ryn." When Ryn didn't answer her, Maddie raised her voice. "Ryn!"
"I… won't go." Ryn knew how weak and pathetic she sounded but staring into Maddie's teary eyes sapped all her willpower. "I won't leave you."
"You have to." Maddie pleaded. "Unless we can get me to a hospital right now, I'm... not going anywhere."
"Then I take you." Ryn had never been to one, but she knew what a hospital was. She'd find one, no matter what it took. "You will be okay."
Maddie smiled, a trickle of blood running from the side of her mouth. "I wish." Leaning over, she nudged Ben's leg with her hand. "Looks like Ryn's going to have to carry you after all."
Ben was silent.
"Ben?" Maddie groaned, twisting her body to partially face Ben's direction. The man was slumped against the wall where they left him, but his eyes were shut. Ryn thought he'd finally fainted from blood loss like Maddie feared he would.
It took far too long for Ryn to realize Ben's chest was no longer moving.
Maddie weakly took hold of Ben's arm and held two fingers to his wrist. Checking for a pulse, a heartbeat, Ryn remembered. Ryn could only watch Maddie search, horror rising higher and higher.
"Oh." Maddie said no more, her arm and Ben's falling limp to the ground.
"No." Ryn whimpered. "No no no. Not dead." Kneeling in front of Ben, Ryn struggled to recall everything humans do in such situations. What was it… what was she supposed to do? There must be something!
"He's gone, Ryn." Maddie seemed to read the mermaid's mind. "There's nothing we can do."
"Can't be gone." The words rung hollow even to Ryn's own ears. Nothing but cheap lies that would do nothing to bring Ben back or save Maddie.
"I'm sorry." Maddie's tears were streaking down her face now. Having to leave Ryn on her own, losing Ben, it was all too much for even strong-willed Maddie to take. "We were supposed to protect you."
"We protect each other." Ryn deeply wished she could cry, if only to physically join Maddie in her sorrow.
With one hand clinging to Ben's, Maddie brought the other to Ryn's cheek. Leaning into the contact, Ryn was only dimly aware of the blood Maddie streaked across her cheek. Too many of Ryn's senses had gone numb, she couldn't even smell it anymore.
"Go back to the ocean." Maddie wheezed. "It's your only… chance."
"I…" Ryn couldn't even speak anymore. She didn't know how to explain to Maddie that the ocean wasn't a home any longer, could never be a home.
"Just… don't let them take you. Please." Maddie begged, her thumb caressing Ryn's face.
Ryn nodded, no words passing the lump in her throat.
"Do me one favor?" Maddie's eyelids drooped low but remained open. "Sing for me?"
Ryn's mates so enjoyed her song. They'd shared many a night simply laying together and reveling in the melody. The thought brought back memories of better and happier times. No pain, no hunters, just three mates finding joy in each other.
If it eased any of Maddie's suffering, Ryn was all too happy to oblige.
Pressing Maddie's hand into her cheek with her own, Ryn opened her mouth and began to sing. She had to stay quiet while she did, Ryn didn't want any others to be able to hear it. This was a private act only for Ben and Maddie, hunters or no.
As Ryn sang, she saw Maddie's eyelids shutting little by little. When Ryn could go no longer, Maddie was still, her head having lolled off to the side to lay on Ben's shoulder. Her chest unmoving, her eyes closed, features relaxed in peace.
Reaching out, Ryn put a hand to the back of each of their heads and pulled their foreheads against her own. A new sound passed from Ryn's lips, a quiet and sad tune her mates had never heard before in life. Ryn was at her happiest and content when with Ben and Maddie, there had never been any reason to hear her like this.
Ryn could shed no tears for them, but this was something she could.
Pausing, Ryn pulled away just enough to kiss both their lips one last time. She noticed the taste of fresh blood on her lip but the taste somehow brought a hollow sort of comfort. Her mates were dead, but a part of them was still right there.
Never before had Ryn felt so utterly alone.
This time, Ryn heard the heavy footsteps before she saw them. Their haste betraying the fact they were not simply searching, they knew exactly where Ryn was. Gently laying Ben and Maddie back against the wall, she rose to her feet.
"There she is!" The hunters were closing in for what they thought was the kill.
But, Ryn had finally been pushed past the breaking point.
Whatever it was the hunters had been expecting, it was not for Ryn to suddenly rush at them with an inhuman snarl. Charging at full speed, Ryn crashed into one at full sprint. Even without strong hearing, the sounds of bones breaking was loud. Not stopping, Ryn barreled him over and grabbed the next by the front and launched him through the air and into a nearby window.
Jumping through the opening, Ryn found the hunter on the floor. Glass shards protruding from his body in various places, but he remained alive.
As Ryn stalked closer, the hunter struggled in vain to crawl away from the mermaid. There was a time when Ryn may have just let him escape, she understood the concept of mercy thanks to Ben.
Unfortunately for the hunter, Ryn no longer cared.
Grasping him by the back of the head, Ryn repeatedly slammed his face into the floor until the wet crunch was to her satisfaction.
Ryn just happened to glance up and caught her own reflection in a nearby mirror. Her face was smeared with blood. Not even the clothes Ryn wore were spared, the materiel stained a deep red. Looking down, Ryn found her hands also covered in the sticky substance.
Almost every drop belonging to Ben and Maddie
The scent of her mates' blood caught up to Ryn almost all at once. She could almost feel something deep within her mind snap, the thin veneer of civility Ryn cultivated so she could live alongside Ben and Maddie cracking.
Instead of running from them, Ryn sought out the next group of hunters. They were completely unprepared for it when Ryn descended on them in a frenzy of anger and hatred.
Ryn felt something small stick into her skin before she felt the jolt of electricity. Her muscles spasmed uncontrollably, but Ryn merely ripped the pieces of metal out. So powerful was the mermaid's fury, it didn't slow her down for long. The attempt to stop her only sent Ryn deeper into her berserk trance.
More dead hunters, but it wasn't enough. Not even close.
Ryn continued finding more of the hunters, there was no shortage of these human warriors in Bristol Cove. With each kill, Ryn felt her fury grow. The sensation of warm blood splashing across her flesh spurring her on into greater acts of brutality.
Ryn's mind was slipping. Ben and Maddie would be ashamed of her if they could see her now, but Ryn's rage was consuming her. The hunters had taken her sister, her people, her home, and now her mates. There was nothing else left to be taken.
It wasn't long before Ryn was completely gone. The mermaid that wore her face shared her appearance, but no part of Ryn remained. All that was left was a feral beast lost to the bloodlust.
The mermaid slaughtered the hunters by the dozen, but eventually they were able to surround her. Some tried to subdue her with more electricity, but it was apparent how ineffective it was. Others tried to bury her under sheer numbers, but it only made it easier for the mermaid to butcher them.
There was a loud bang sound just before the mermaid felt her shoulder explode in agony. Letting loose a deafening screech, the mermaid fed on her own pain, attacking the hunters with greater fervor. She was down to a single arm, her other hanging useless at her side, but the wounded mermaid became twice as ferocious.
"We need her alive!"
"Hell with that!"
More thunderous sounds followed, the mermaid could feel the blinding sting all over her body as she convulsed under the impacts. It became too much, the mermaid collapsing to her knees encircled by the bodies of fallen hunters.
One hunter approached, alone.
As hard as the mermaid willed her body to move, it would not. Upon hearing the click, her glare turned up to see the hunter's weapon right in her face.
Hissing at the top of her lungs, the mermaid made one last lunge at the hunter.
Another bang, and everything went white.
A scream tore its way from Ryn's lips as she shot up.
Ryn registered a yelp from beside her followed by a thud. Somebody was talking, but Ryn was too busy trying to regain her bearings. Once her mind started to calm down a little, she was able to think more clearly.
The room was dark, but Ryn could see she was in a bed and not on a street. The feeling of smooth sheets on her skin a familiar sensation. As were the gentle touches and the scent that enveloped the entire room.
"Maddie?" Ryn's head turned so fast it almost made her dizzy.
"It's okay, I'm right here." Maddie was indeed there. It was her that Ryn was feeling in her hair and on her bare leg. "Ben?"
"I'm alright." Ben sat up from the floor rubbing his face. In the dim light, Ryn could just make out the bruise forming. "Our girl has an arm, that's for sure."
Seeing Ben and Maddie both here, both alive and breathing, almost sent Ryn into another panic. They were talking, but Ryn couldn't really hear them.
Grabbing Ben by the arm, Ryn jerked him closer. He let out a cry of surprise but didn't resist. Bringing her hand to his chest, Ryn splayed her fingers out on his skin. She couldn't remember how to do it the right way, but with Ben being shirtless tonight it would be easy enough like this.
Ryn immediately felt the telltale thumping through his ribs. The mermaid let out a quiet hum of relief as she reveled in the feeling.
Just when Ryn was about to repeat the act on Maddie, the woman took Ryn's other hand and brought it to a spot below her jaw. With Maddie positioning Ryn's fingers, she just as quick found that same thumping Ryn could still feel in Ben's chest.
Ryn's mates were alive and unharmed. The pair were safe, but that didn't mean they were away from peril. There was one more thing Ryn needed to see.
Jumping up from bed, Ryn dashed into Ben's kitchen. The small ring of metal should have been in here somewhere, Ryn just needed to find it.
"Ryn?" Ben was first to give chase after the mermaid.
"K…?" Ryn tried hard to recall the name of the thing in question. "Keys?"
Taking the aforementioned item from the counter, Ben tossed it to the mermaid, no questions asked.
Ryn threw open the front door and stepped outside. Fumbling with the pieces of metal in her hand, Ryn found her goal, the small device called a key fob.
Preparing for the worst, Ryn hit the first button. Other than a quiet click from Ben's car, there was no reaction. The second button produced a louder beep but no more. The third caused the car to blare wildly, but it was nothing she hadn't heard before.
The explosion Ryn had been expecting was nowhere to be found.
"Better?" Ben asked only after Ryn was finished. He'd remained in the doorway the whole time, watching, but allowing Ryn to do what she needed to.
"Yes." Ryn finally allowed herself to relax.
Upon reentering the house, Ryn felt Maddie's arms gently wrap around her smaller frame. Ben remained behind her, hand on her lower back. Ryn hated how helpless she seemed right now, but she couldn't deny her own fear.
"Everything's okay." Maddie rested her forehead on Ryn's, that same smile gracing her lips that made the mermaid's heart soar. "It was just a bad dream, you're safe."
"Not what I fear." Ryn mumbled, almost inaudible. It was true, it hadn't been her own safety that haunted Ryn, it was that of her mates.
"We're all safe." Ben understood first, one arm around Ryn while the other wound it's way around Maddie. "No danger here."
Ryn buried her nose into Maddie's neck, just so happy none of it had been real. Ben and Maddie's respective holds tightened, keeping the mermaid as close as possible.
"No more sleep tonight." As much as Ryn enjoyed this, they couldn't remain forever. Neither did she want to return to bed. The idea of going back to that was… terrifying.
"We don't have to." Maddie pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Ryn's head. "Come on, I have an idea."
Taking Ryn by the hand, Maddie led her to the couch and pulled the mermaid to sit in her lap. Ryn had to do so slowly, or risk accidentally crushing Maddie with her weight.
"I never did get around to showing you how to braid this pretty hair of yours." Maddie's fingers ran through the long strands ever so slowly. "I'll do some simple ones tonight, and you can tell me what you think. Sound good?"
Ryn nodded, her voice no longer trustworthy.
While Maddie got started, Ben took a seat a little further down the couch. "Put your feet up here, Ryn."
"Do as he says." Maddie whispered in Ryn's ear. "He gives great massages."
Ryn was unsure what that was, but if Maddie approved, it was enough for Ryn.
They shifted positions to accommodate. Maddie lay back against the arm of the couch with Ryn leaning against her, the mermaid's lower half resting across Ben's lap. The two humans worked in unison, Maddie on Ryn's hair, Ben's hands on her legs and feet.
One minute in, Ryn had already decided she wanted more of these massages in the future. The way Ben's hands worked her flesh had every muscle beneath them relaxing. All the tension in Ryn's body, even what she didn't know about, fading with each moment.
As Ben focused on his task, Maddie had her own. Her deft fingers working their way through Ryn's locks, twisting and twining the hair into a pattern Ryn was unable to see. Maddie had to pull on the strands to work them, but she never did so hard enough to hurt. It was actually quite soothing.
Neither human spoke nor made a sound. They didn't have to, both knew Ryn well enough to understand it wasn't talking she needed from her mates. It was their touch, their presence, the mermaid so desperately required. Something that both were happy to provide in abundance.
If Ryn fell back into a peaceful sleep during the pair's ministrations, nobody said anything then either.
Not often I write genuine angst, but it comes way too easily for my liking. Eh, oh well. Another addition for the Siren fandom my beloved readers. Call it adding a bit of spice/variety.
Now, unless I get another sudden bout of inspiration, next will be the one-shot collection.
I was going to post this later this evening, maybe even tomorrow or Saturday. But I finished it a lot sooner than I was expecting so here we go. Now, I'm off to go watch episode six.
Let me know what you all think.