A/N: I'm back, faithful readers! I felt pretty shitty for a while, but now I'm feeling in tip top shape (happy dance)! Okay, sooooo I wrote this when I was sick and obviously that means it might have mistakes. Why did I not go back and edit, you ask? I'm too lazy! So, as always: read, review, and have a nice day! (P.S.- I promise this is a slash story. There will be slashy goodness and Johnlock soon, but I need to give it a bit of background before I dive into the romance and the adventurous plot I have planned.)
Chapter 6.
The atmosphere around John Watson was brisk and bitter, but soothing and cool all the same. His eyes were open, analyzing the scenery around him. John was underwater. The natural urge to hold his breath and squint his eyes had overcome him when he had first awoken, but he found that he could not only see clearly under the salt water, but breathe as well. This discovery would have been shocking to the captain, if it weren't for the fact that he felt the merman, Sherlock, had something to do with his new aquatic abilities.
John had been awake for nearly half an hour, searching for Sherlock or any of the other merfolk that might have inhabited the area. He had found himself lying across bitterly cold and grainy sand. The urge to get up and seek the merman brought him quickly to his feet; he felt light and nearly weightless surrounded by the salty sea. His clothes hovered against him, the water's current moving and rustling them every so often. The sandy ground of the sea shifted softly under his feet, as he wandered slowly across the floor. The environment seemed barren and lonely, with only a few organisms in his sight, all of which appeared bizarre and otherworldly to John. The sun's rays looked as though they were a great distance away from the sea's floors where John ambled about, giving the grey landscape an erie, ghostly presence.
Hours had passed by the time John came across an extraordinarily sunny patch of water, and high rocks covered in green algae came into view ahead of John. Old shells and pieces of seaweed looked to be in patterns decorating the rocks, now towering over him. The bright rays of the sun felt warm against John's chilled skin and he stopped to peer around and study the curious sight of the shells and seaweed. Reaching out, he dragged his fingers over the corse surface of the shells.
"John!" He snapped his head around swiftly, water surging around his body as a glimmer of aqua colored scales raced past him. John recognized the voice and tail as Molly's. Her arms embraced him tightly, the shells and necklaces covering her chest pressing nearly painfully against him. "I've been worried! Has Sherlock not been attending to you?"
Her eyes didn't fail to display her concern for John, but John also saw that she was obviously relieved to have him in her care now. Molly's voice sounded soft and mellifluous under the water. John smiled as her eyes darted to his forehead, touching the now healing wound, which was leaving a light-colored scar.
"I actually haven't seen Sherlock since I have woken up," John's voice came hesitantly, not wanting the salty water to fill his mouth. However, his mouth stayed dry. He trailed behind Molly, who began to swim through the twisting maze of rocks and algae. Her tail moved gracefully, stirring the water around her. Her red hair flowed smoothly behind her and her fin fluidly moved with the current. The scales of her tail were wispy and thin-looking, and they camouflaged with the light blue waters of the sea. Nevertheless, they shone brightly and luminously against the dark sand of the sea floor, alight with the reflection of the sun rays.
"You can never be sure with our Sherlock," she laughed, glancing over her shoulder at John before swimming onward. "I'll take you to where I think he might be. I have a feeling he'll be there now." Molly reached back and pulled John gently off of his feet, drawing him next to her. The two swam together silently for a few moments.
The rocks that had towered over John continued ahead of them for what seemed like miles, becoming closer together and even connected as they swam further. Further ahead, the rocks were connected together at their tops with algae and other sea plants and organisms. Snails and large fish wove their way into the pathway joined together by the gargantuan stones.
"Where are we going?" John spoke up, looking over at the red-headed mermaid.
"To the supply cellars. We keep all of the human possessions and articles that we find there. We have scholars that find the meanings of the items, catalogue them and such. I work for them. Mainly just do small tasks to help catalogue things," she explained, as if studying human litter and useless junk was normal to the merfolk. John supposed it was, by the seriousness in her voice. Molly spoke of her job with a hint of pride and achievement, and John smiled at her sweetly.
"So Sherlock is one of these... scholars, I'm guessing?"
"Actually, he isn't. He prefers to work on his own, but he is called in by my boss sometimes. For examining mainly. He's rather knowledgable on humans." She pulled against John's arm a bit firmer and he swam faster, legs and arms tiring from the long swim. The waters around them became murkier and dull. Something dark loomed ominously at the end of the rocks, rising above the two. John's smile faded away from his face and his body went rigid. The looming sight was a sunken ship.
The ship's wood was rotting and green plants and snails covered its once brightly painted outside. A few flecks of red and white paint clung to the wood surface, but the name of the ship had faded away with the years of water it had been in the midst of. The view shocked John, his mind sent reeling back to his own ship and crew. The ship once carried a crew and possibly even passengers, and John tried to stop his thoughts about the poor souls who had occupied it at the time of its destruction. Anger seeped into him as well, knowing that this ship was a graveyard to humans, yet a place of business for merfolk.
"John?"
John was brought out of his thoughts and quietly followed Molly into the vessel through a gaping hole that looked to be carved into the side. Decorating the entrance were patterns of shells and other underwater plants, matching the ones that covered the rocks John had seen earlier. The inside of the ship astounded John. Colorful banners and paintings hung from the dome-like structure of the flipped ship, and the area was sectioned off into small offices and pockets. Walls of old wooden planks and stones were built to the 'ceiling' of the structure, making it more like a human building or factory, and all around him merfolk of every shape, size, and color swam past, hurrying about their business. The shining of scales was blinding yet remarkable, colors casting a glow onto the old wooden interior of the ship.
Mermaids and mermen rushed out and into carved passageways in the walls, shelves and files lining the rooms the entrances led to. Common human items were orderly categorized, lined neatly together. Forks, rag-dolls, clothing, shoes, hair ribbons, paintings, and jewelry, all tethered to the shelves by rope to keep them from drifting elsewhere. Scholars, John guessed, demonstrated theories of what the objects might be used for to pupils and other fellow scholars, tending carefully to the delicate metals of silverware and tearing fabric of garments. The shear amount of merfolk alone was enough to amaze John, peeking into the rooms as they passed.
Though a few stopped their fast-paced route to their next task, John seemed to be overlooked in the hurried activity and working going on around him. Molly and he swam upward, higher to the lofty 'ceiling' of the establishment (there was no use for stairs). While the other doorways were open, this particular one had a threadbare tapestry hung on it, blocking out the liveliness outside. The tapestry looked to be one from humans, but also had symbols and script printed onto it as well. The writing of merfolk?
"Sherlock should be in here," Molly stopped in front of the entryway. "And if he's not here, he should be soon. He loves this chamber." John went to enter the room, keeping his focus on Molly swimming away into the large crowd of young mermaids and mermen who had just passed by, mumbling about a new lecture from a scholar. "If you need me, come to the polishing rooms just outside of the main ship. You can't miss them!" She disappeared into the vibrant colors of the giant supply cellar.
For a few moments, John allowed himself to grasp against the frame of the carved door and stare down far below him, the floor seemed to be miles away from up above. The colossal inside of the ship reminded him of a swarming beehive, little rooms and shelves built into it like combs of a hive. The walls had hundreds of doorways in them, each leading to a room full of artifacts and merfolk. The colors of each merman's and mermaid's tail were vibrant and unique, not one the same. Some carried items in and out of the chambers, others rushing behind scholars out of the ship. Polishing rooms? John pondered bewilderedly, thinking of the many other places these merfolk might be wandering to. If this was how big the storage cellars were, how big must the community be? And if there were other places like this in the vast seas?
John stopped his trailing thoughts, turning to lift back the old, worn tapestry. Had Sherlock been in the room, John would have bursted at him with a deluge of questions, demanding answers. Why could he breath underwater? Why could he see? What did Sherlock want from him, now that his wound was healing nicely? However, the black haired merman wasn't present. Something far more petrifying was. John froze.
Lining the walls of shelves were not the same artifacts he had seen in the other chambers, there were no spoons and human mementos. There, instead, were skulls, human skulls.
A/N: WHAT. THE. FUCK. AMIRIGHT? Why are there skulls in the room? Where is Sherlock? Why can John breathe underwater? Why can he see? WHY IS HE HERE ANYWAY? All will be revealed and more in the next installment! As always, review and have a spectacular day!