Terror of the Tides

Chapter 1

Tidefury Cove

Kids. Sweet, young, and innocent. Rebellious sometimes, thought Nemo as he swam to the large plateau where Mr. Ray dropped off his kids to their waiting parents. He even remembered when he too attended Mr. Ray's prestigious school.

But that time was past. Nemo was grown up now, and watching over the strangest of kids is not a job to be trifled with. He was surprised that the children's parents didn't complain about him escorting their kids.

He also remembered when the bloodgills appeared and began terrorizing the reef for thirteen days, and how his mother appeared to save them. Unable to shake the feeling that they haven't seen the last of them, the reef population created special guardians, Bloodgill hunters, to destroy the bloodgills if they ever decided to return. Armed with the bloodgill's own abilities, including the lethal wavepulse, it was said many times that a single bloodgill hunter could take on ten sharks at once. Nemo, being a bloodgill hunter himself, didn't want to take that chance.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, guys." Said Mr. Ray as he glided down and landed. All the kids eagerly went to Nemo and asked them various questions about Bloodgills.

"How big're they?"

"Is it true wave...thingy can actually crush a shark?"

"How long does it take to be a bloodgill hunter?"

"Is it fun?"

Nemo laughed lightly to himself. "They're a little bit bigger than us, I'm not sure about wavepulse crushing sharks, it takes about 5 years to become a bloodgill hunter, and until I actually meet a bloodgill, I think it's fun." He replied. The little fish asked him questions until he reached all their houses.

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Without kids to pester him, Nemo was finally free to relax. He swam to the anemone that he and his father lived in and relaxed. He sighed and landed softly against the soft flesh of the anemone.

Without warning, his father, Marlin, appeared.

"Nemo!" he shouted. Nemo groaned, almost half asleep. Marlin then shouted something so inaudible that Nemo at first thought that Dory had really convinced him that he was able to speak whale.

"Wha...?" asked Nemo. "Come again, slloooowwweeeerrrr."

Marlin himself sighed, and then repeated. "Something's happened at Tidefury Cove. All the fish are gone."

"Tidefury, huh?" asked Nemo. He clued in a few seconds later that Marlin and Dory went there once to visit Marlin's relatives. It was a small cove resting against South America, on the eastern side.

"Yeah, Tidefury Cove. The fish are all missing! The reef is still there, it's like...a ghost town now."

Nemo was fully awake now.

"Alright, I'll go."

Nemo then did the most unlikely thing that Marlin thought. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Marlin.

"Nothing, it's just..." he paused. "I remember, twenty years ago, when I was six. You wouldn't let me out of the anemone without..." he cleared his throat, and then did a humorous but accurate impression of Marlin. "'Alright, we check both ways to make sure the coast is clear. We go out...then back in. We go out...then back in...'"

"Well, you have the Bloodgill's own abilities to use against them now. I think I finally got over my paranoia about losing you. Just like how Dory got over her short-term memory loss."

"Due to overexposure to you, dad." Added Nemo. Marlin paused in effort to make a witty retort, but before he said anything, Nemo said, "Alright, I'll best be going now. I should be there by late afternoon."

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Nemo swam east west, along the same longitude as the barrier reef. He swam across the international date line, all with little incident. He continued on by travelling through various currents, but found fewer and fewer fish as he neared Tidefury Cove. Something strange was definitely going on...

When he did reach Tidefury Cove, it was just as Marlin described it. Nothing was there. The reef was there, but all the fish were gone. He then began looking around for clues that might have caused them to disappear.

Suddenly something black and red moved in the shadows. Nemo turned, and there was nothing. The reef itself seemed to be playing tricks on his mind...

"Hey, what's this?" asked Nemo to himself. It was a letter.

Dear Swift,

How's school? I personally don't like it much. Chris is still bugging me. Saying something disgusting that I shouldn't really repeat in this letter. I hope your luck's better than mine.

What'd you think of our wedding? I thought it was great! Think we should start a family soon?

I got a special gift for you. Meet me at the drop-off, near the fan coral, around twilight. I'll be waiting there...so if you come, you'll find me.

Your love, Arrow

P.S: Did you save me some cake?

This was definitely strange. However, he noticed something on the letter that made him cringe.

"Blood..." he murmured. "There's blood all over the letter. The bottom is torn."

Now Nemo had really begun to feel creeped out. Stuff was moving amidst the coral, but he had no clue as to what was happening.

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Nemo woke up alive and well...in the middle of the night. Just as he exited the anemone, he saw a really terrifying sight.

I see you...

It was spelled in blood that floated in the water. Someone had come by and spelled that for him. However, he had no clue as to who or what would do that.

Aahhhhhh.... said a voice somewhere in the coral.

"Who's there?" asked Nemo. He readied himself for a wavepulse.

Finally...some fresh meat... it said again.

Nemo once again took refuge in the anemone. However, all of a sudden, the anemone shrivelled up and died.

My passion is to create... said the voice. I will create a being so evil, so malignant, that no one will stand up to it...

Nothing is more glorious than the moment of death...

Nemo swam backwards and bumped into something soft...and cold. He paused. He closed his eyes, then quickly turned around.

"Wavepulse!" he shouted. His attack smashed into the target and it exploded, completely crushed.

It was a map. There was a big gaping hole where Nemo blasted the coral open and he couldn't read it anymore.

There was a hissing sound from behind Nemo now. It drew closer and closer until it passed right over him. He looked left...right...nothing there.

The hissing sound returned, and this time Nemo looked up.

"Wavepulse!" he shouted. He had no time as to see what his target was, or even if he hit his target, but whatever it was, it got blasted right out of the water and entered Earth's orbit.

Nemo panted. "That's how...powerful...a wavepulse...can be." He said to himself.

I know...

Nemo readied himself again.

This time, however, he decided to get out of there. He knew that something sinister was stirring beneath the waves, and he didn't know what it was...

...nor did he want to find out. He turned around and swam back to the Great Barrier Reef to get some more rest. Then he'll call for backup, his fellow Bloodgill hunters – Darrin, Aydan, and La Ciegna. And behind him, he heard the strange voice laughing behind him.