Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Mako Mermaids, or any of its properties.

WARNING: Even though the overall rating of this story is "T" for Teen, the following Chapter contains strong language, and acts of violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Also, I DO NOT recommend trying to duplicate the home remedies that Rita Santos employs, they have been fabricated for the sake of this story.

Chapter 8

"Tides help us," Rita whispered, her face a mask of alarm, she stared down the stairs at Evie; the girl stood in the small entry hall of the condo her clothing streaked with blood, as was the clothing of her equally bloody looking father. "Evie what happened!" Rita asked quickly descending the stairs. "What happened to you and Doug?"

"Mermaid," Evie mouthed silently, shifting under the weight of her father who was leaning against here. "Ms. Santos, please, you have to help us," She said out loud.

"Who is that?' Doug McLaren barked. "Santos? Is that Rita Santos? What the hell is she doing here? Where are we?" Sweeping his head around, eyes so bloodshot they were nearly red, Doug shouted, "Nurse? Doctor? Where the hell are we Evie, is this the hospital!"

"Dad, listen to me," Evie pleaded, locking eyes with Rita. "We can't go to the hospital, Principal Santos can help us," She explained. "Please Daddy, you have to trust me!"

Doug batted his daughter away, "No, this is ridiculous! Hospital, NOW!" Stumbling blindly into the frame of the still open door, he doubled over in pain, and vomited on the bricks of the small patio.

Rita took a tentative step forward to whisper, "Evie, how did this happen? What happened?"

"I don't know," Evie answered, tears streaking her face, raising a hand she wiped the tears away leaving ghastly bloody streaks as she looked helplessly at her father, "It was a mermaid, a blonde one, she did something…she had a knife, and she twisted her hand… How did she do that?"

"Mermaid?" Doug gagged, his eyes searching wildly as he dropped to the ground on hands and knees to vomit again. "What the hell are you talking about Evie? Mermaid! I need a hospital!"

Rita swallowed nervously, her gaze shifted between Evie, the bleeding cuts on her arm and hand dripping onto the tile floor, and then to Doug with his blistered skin and blood stain clothing. Taking a breath, the mermaid squared her shoulders, and, in a calm, orderly voice said, "We need to get him downstairs." Tuning to Nixie who was standing silent, back to the wall, her face pale, Rita took several steps forward, out of earshot of Evie and spoke softly, "Nixie, I need you're your help, now." When the younger mermaid pulled her attention from the man puking on the patio, Rita whispered, "We need half a drop Stonefish, half a cup ground Nurse Shark liver stirred into a glass of water. You know where everything is, I trust you, but I need it now Nixie."

"Okay," Nixie nodded, and with tears in her eyes fled, her feet carrying her swiftly up the stairs and into the condo.

"What is going on!" Doug's voice was haggard as he vomited reddish tinged bile on the cement outside Rita's front door. "Evie what the hell is happening, I can't see!"

"Dad!" Evie said moving over to her father as he tried to crawl blindly around on hands and knees. "Dad stop it!" Panic in her eyes she looked at Rita who stood watching. "Please, help, can't you do something!"

"Evie I am," Rita answered, her voice calm, even though her body shook, slightly. "But I can't get wet." She motioned to her bare feet, and then to the blood-soaked clothing of the two humans as well as the pools of vomit streaking the stones of the patio. "Nixie and I will do what we can, but we're also going to need you to help us." Taking a breath, she met Evie's eyes steadily. "Will you be able to help us?"

"Yes," Evie said almost inaudible as she held her father.

"Oh God," Doug collapsed to the ground and curled up in ball. "How did she do that!"

"Daddy, please, listen to me," Evie said, her voice shaking. "Miss Santos can help you. I know this sounds insane, but you were attacked by a mermaid and Miss Santos is a mermaid and can help us," Evie glanced up at the sudden intake of breath from Rita. "Sorry," She mumbled.

"Oh God, I'm going to die," Doug gasped as he clutched his stomach. " I feel like my insides are burning! Why are you lying to me, why is this happening? Why are you lying to me, I need a doctor."

"I'm not lying, dad, that woman in the café, she was a mermaid, and Miss Santos is a mermaid," Evie answered, as she helped her father sit up. "I know it's a lot to take in, but please trust me dad, you have to trust me."

"Are you on drugs or something," Doug gasped. "Tell me the truth!"

Evie sat back a look of impatience sweeping over her face as she snapped, "Okay fine, dad, this is the truth; Zac and I are hooked on meth, Miss Santos is our dealer, she makes it in her basement, and oh yeah dad, I'm pregnant with Zac's baby."

"That son of a bitch, I'll kill him," Doug wheezed and doubled over to dry heave on the patio, with a gasping of breath he groaned, " And that's the stupidest lie you've ever tried to tell me."

"Well mum taught me that," Evie answered as she helped her father sit up again. "Whenever you didn't want to believe something, she just told you a crazier story." Taking a breath, she said, "So dad you can either accept that you were attacked by a mermaid; or that I'm a crack whore with a baby Zac in my belly. You choose, because we don't have a lot of time right now."

"This is like the time I didn't believe the new dishwasher shorted out, and your mum said aliens attacked the house and did it," Doug gave a small, pained laugh. "I replaced that dishwasher you know."

"I know," Evie sighed. "And that one still works-"

"Rita, Evie," Nixie said breathlessly as she came down the steps, a glass filled with a vile yellowish looking concoction held carefully in her hand. Stopping at the bottom of the steps she offered it to Rita and stepped back, glancing over at Doug, "I hope I got it right."

"I'm sure you did," Rita reassured, taking a sniff at the contents. "The smell is right." Gingerly, to avoid to puddles of reddish vomit on the patio, she stepped over and held the glass out Evie. "Evie, Doug needs to drink this, and then we can get help him."

"What is it…oh God that stinks," Evie asked and wrinkled her nose. "He is not going to like this." Moving over to her father she said, "Dad you have to drink this." Wrinkling her nose she held the glass up to his lips.

"What the hell is that!" Doug exclaimed drawing back. "That's gross, are you trying to poison me? I'm not drinking that!"

"It's a sedative…more or less," Rita answered calmly. "Doug, listen to me, you have to drink it, and I know it tastes, and smells, terrible, but you have to drink it, if you want us to help."

"This is stupid," Doug spat. "I should be with a doctor."

"Dad, just shut up and drink this, please," Evie said pressing the glass to his lips. "Everything will make sense, I promise, it won't kill you."

"Okay fine," Eyes squeezed shut Doug gagged down the contents of the class as Evie held it to his lips. "Oh, that is disgusting! What is that!"

"Stonefish venom and nurse shark liver, if you must know," Rita answered folding arms.

Doug and Evie's heads swung the in direction of Rita's voice, their mouths falling open. "That's poison!" Doug exclaimed as the glass slipped from Evie's hands to shatter on the bricks. "You're trying to kill me!"

"Rita!" Evie said rising to her feet, eyes wide with shock. "What are you doing! Stonefish is a neurotoxin!"

"Evie trust me," Rita responded calmly. "The shark liver counteracts the Stonefish toxins, and acts as a sedative. It's been handed down among my people for hundreds of years." She looked over at Doug, "Believe me, it shouldn't take long."

"Evie, she's trying kill me," Doug gasped as he collapsed to the ground. "Get me to the hospital NOW!"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath Evie stepped back a few feet and looked down at her father. "Sorry dad, can't do that," She said quietly and bit her lip as Rita took several careful steps over to her.

"Evie," Rita said softly. "Let me take a look at your hand." Careful to avoid the still dripping blood from the girl's palm, the mermaid examined it. "It actually doesn't look too bad, I'll clean it out and stitch it up, but since you've got movement, I don't think the nerves were damaged, and the bleeding isn't as bad as it looks." She moved to look at the laceration running up Evie's arm. "I think you got lucky, we'll get these cleaned and sewn up and you should be fine, a few scars but no lasting damage."

"Thanks," Evie answered weakly. "We should have gone to the hospital, but they'd ask questions, and I didn't know what she did him anyway, some kind of magic or something." She looked down at Doug who was now lying still on the ground, his breathing shallow and relaxed. "What do we do with him?"

"Well," Rita sighed and looked over at Nixie. "The two of us are going to have to carry him downstairs. Evie is no condition to help us."

Nixie gave a short laugh. "Right," She said speaking for the first time in many minutes. "And how are the two of us going to carry a land person who's taller than Zac up a flight of stairs and down another one? This is crazy?"

"I hadn't thought of that," Rita grimaced in realization. "I'll try calling Zac, we're going to need him to help us I'm afraid." She turned and quickly ascended the stairs into the condo.

"Where is he anyway?" Evie asked leaning against a wall for support.

"I think he's at his house, or should be," Nixie answered carefully. "He called and wanted Lyla to come over so they could talk, Rita drove her over and dropped her off."

"I'm not having any luck," Rita announced from the top of the steps, mobile phone pressed to an ear as she walked down to join Nixie and Evie. "I keep getting Zac voice mail, so we're on our own until he returns from wherever he went." She sighed and looked down at Doug, his clothing soaked with sweat, blood and vomit. "Nixie would you be kind enough to get our raincoats, boots and gloves, I think we're going to need them."

"So think we should get back," Zac sighed as he looked over a Lyla; the blonde mermaid had her head on his shoulders, her eyes luminescent in the eerie blue glow the waters of the Moonpool always gave off. "We didn't tell anyone we were swimming out here, so they'll be worried. I don't know what time it is; I'm guessing it's close to midnight."

"I don't think it is, we're still a few hours from high tide" Lyla answered with a grin as she tip-toed her fingers suggestively over Zac's chest. "So, we've got time for other things, if you're up to it…"

"So, it's not even ten yet?" Zac responded and reached for Lyla's hand to bring it to his lips in a kiss, a grin spreading across his face. "You Lyla are a naughty, naughty mermaid, and I think I'm totally in love with you."

"Good, because you got me drunk and took complete advantage of me," Lyla answered with a wicked smile. "I gave you plenty of chances to say no, and you never did, so that makes you a naughty merman by my count."

"Oh!" Zac exclaimed. "I took advantage of you? You were like an octopus! Now I know why Rita told you mermaids should never drink alcohol." Rolling over he pinned Lyla's arms, his body and tail stretched out on top of hers as he kissed her. "This would be me taking advantage of you."

"I knew it!" Lyla laughed coyly as she slipped out of Zac's grasp and swam to the other opposite side of the Moonpool to rest on the underwater stone ridge that covered half the pool. "You've been waiting for months to get me alone and have your evil merman ways; you're just like a dolphin!" She patted the ledge beside her, flashing Zac a smile. "Care to join me?"

"I am not a dolphin," Zac grinned and swam over to where the blonde mermaid waited; he grabbed one of her hands and kissed it and said huskily, "I'm an orca!" Laughing he pulled himself on to the ledge beside Lyla and kissed her again. "Eventually we're going to have to go back you know," He said and entwined his arm in hers, the two of them sat and stared upwards at the stars far over head in silence until Zac asked, "Earlier tonight you told me mermaids are born in this Moonpool, did you mean that? Is that why you, Nixie and Sirena were here the night I fell in?"

"I don't know," Lyla answered her voice distant as the stars. "We were told to guard the island, and then come to the Moonpool for the moon rise and wait for the others." She pursed her lips and stared upwards. "I don't really understand it, we've never seen another mermaid born in here, but I guess that's possible. The three of us were the last ones."

"Really how often does it happen then?" Zac asked his voice curious. "You said you were 16 back in October," He paused then and pulled back slightly to look at Lyla cautiously. "Just how old are you?"

"I'm the same age you are," Lyla answered with a small laugh. "We panicked when Evie started asking all those questions and just blurted out a number. I don't know why you think it's important, why are land people so obsessed with dates and times?"

"I'm just trying to get some things sorted," Zac said neutrally. "If I'm going to be like this for the rest of my life," He flicked his tail for emphasis and sent ripples across the surface of the Moonpool, "And have magic powers and in love with a mermaid, then I think I need to know everything about it, besides you said mermaids are immortal so far as I know you could be two hundred years old."

"No, I'm not that old, our pod leader Veridia probably is, but we almost never saw her," Lyla answered. "Aquata was her age she was born, and before her was Maya and Rhanis, and they were the same age also, I don't know who it was before them."

"What do you mean? I don't understand that," Zac said cautiously. "So, when you're born or whatever, um… you weren't a baby mermaid?"

"No," Lyla laughed. "A baby mermaid, that's ridiculous, but I guess you wouldn't know; Nixie, Sirena and I were all born just like we are now, from sea foam and moonlight. We're the youngest, and everyone else, like Aquata, was born older."

"Like Aphrodite," Zac commented his eyes narrowing in thought as he looked at Lyla. "So, you just sit around in this Moonpool and every 16 years or so some full-grown mermaid just pops up out of nowhere in the moonlight?" He asked skeptically. "And then you live forever?"

"I guess, but I already told you, we've never seen it happen, and I don't really remember most of it," Lyla shrugged. "So, I don't know how true it all is, and we-"

"Shhh," Zac whispered suddenly holding a hand up to silence Lyla, his eyes riveted to the entrance of the Moonpool.

Lyla followed Zac's gaze, the intake of her gasp echoing in the chamber as four shapes glided out of the tunnel, their bodies illuminated by the blue glow of the water. "Zac," She swallowed nervously. "That is not Nixie or Sirena."

"I know," Zac moved in front of Lyla. "Stay behind me." He held one arm out to shield the mermaid behind him and waited as the four strangers rose from the water.

"Maya?" Lyla exclaimed eyes on a dark-haired mermaid that led the other three. "Jewel, Ava, Naia?" She questioned as her eyes picked out the three mermaids that had risen beside Maya. Lyla then drew a breath of surprise as she saw the short rusty harpoons the four of them held like spears. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Maya's eyes met Lyla's briefly and then swept to Zac, her mouth twisting with hatred and a swift intake of breath.

"Look," Zac explained, "We don't want any tro-"

"MONSTER!" Maya screamed, the harpoon in her hand arcing out to open a bloody red line in Zac's chest. "You don't belong here!" She shouted and stabbed out again.

Gasping in pain, Zac moved backward to avoid Maya's second thrust, only to cry out in agony as another of the mermaids pushed forward, the rusty harpoon in her hands thrusting to glance off his ribs, the deep gash pouring blood into the water. One hand slapped over the bleeding wound in his side Zac and the stranger circled in the Moonpool as the Maya and the two other newcomers converged on Lyla. "Look, we can just leave," Zac wheezed, and then dodged as the mermaid came at him again.

"Zac!" Lyla shouted a warning, her voice ringing with fear, and then she screamed as she was shoved backwards brutally against the black rocks of the Moonpool by Jewel and Ava.

Swooping in, Maya landed a blow across Lyla's face that rocked the mermaids head backward, silencing any further attempts to call for help. "Traitor! You brought HIM to our Moonpool!" Maya screamed, slapping her victim again and then once more. As Jewel slammed Lyla's right wrist against the paving stones of the pool, Maya screamed, "You don't deserve this for what you've done!" Grasping the Lyla's Moonring Maya ripped it off with brutal force, skinning her captive's finger to the bone.

"Leave her alone!" Zac roared over Lyla's cry of pain. Tearing the harpoon from the grip of the mermaid before him he thrust one hand out; Power arched almost visibly through the air to slam into the the two mermaids holding Lyla, tossing them aside like paper. With a thrust of his tail Zac surged forward, the attack sending the blade of the harpoon in hand through Mayas back and out her stomach. "Get away from her!" Zac shouted, ripping the harpoon upward and out as the mermaid shrieked in pain. "Are you alright" He gasped, spinning to place his body between the strange mermaids and Lyla, his blood mingling with that of Maya who was now across the Moonpool flopping around in pink froth.

Cradling her hand, which was dripping blood into the water, Lyla nodded, "It hurts but I can make it home, Zac your hurt and we need to leave."

"No, they need to leave," Eyes almost impassive, Zac watched as the three strange mermaids rushed to the aid of Maya, easing her upright. With the bloody harpoon extended like a sword in one arm, he ordered, "Get out!"

"See what you've done!" Maya panted, blood spilling from her lips as she glared at Lyla with pure hatred. "See what a monster he is! He'll kill all of us, and he'll kill you in the end!"

"I said get out!" Zac shouted his chest heaving as he moved several feet closer to the four mermaids. He watched as two mermaids, eyes wide with fear grabbed Maya by the shoulders and dove. Zac turned his eyes to the remaining mermaid who was trembling and pale, he spoke one word, "Leave."

Without a word the mermaid fled, vanishing in a splash of pinkish water and orange tail.

"Remind me never to do this again," Nixie said as she collapsed onto some cushions in the treasure room and looked over to at Rita, who stood clad in a yellow raincoat and was placing pillows under Doug McClaren's head. "And remind me to kill Zac when he gets back for not being here when we need him. I didn't think we'd ever get him down here."

"At least you didn't drop him, well more than three times anyway," Evie said with a weak laugh from where she sat on the top of the steps leading to the lower level of Rita's hidden grotto and leaned on the railing. "So, what happens now? And what do I do about this?" She held her bloody towel wrapped hand.

"Let me take care of Doug first," Rita answered. "And then we'll deal with that." She looked down at the man who was laid on the stone bench that circled the room, his clothing soiled and his arms an ugly mass of huge broken blisters. "Nixie may I borrow your Moonring?"

Evie eyed Nixie as the mermaid rose from her feet to pull off the silver ring with the blue stone and hand it to Rita. "What are you going to do with that? That's identical to the ring Zac was going to give me. All of you wear- OH MY GOD!"

Rita and Nixie turned to look at Evie. "What's wrong?" Rita asked with a note of alarm in her voice.

"That stone," Evie said as she stood and pointed to the ring Rita held. "Is just like the big blue stone that was in the trident thing that Cam tried to steal!"

"Yes, it is," Rita answered, relaxed and calm, as she slipped the ring on, formed a fist and aimed it at Doug. "Only smaller, and less powerful."

Evie remained silent, her mouth opened and then shut as she watched the ring glow with a blue light, and her father's body enveloped in the same blue glow. "What the he-"

Nixie jogged up the steps and took Evie's hand. "It's okay, Rita now what she's doing." She gripped Evie's hand harder as the land girl tried to pull away. "Evie, please, trust us, you have this far you know."

Evie relaxed and sat down, looking up at Nixie. "You're right, thanks," She smiled, weakly. "You know when I first met you, Lyla and Sirena I thought you were all freaks."

"Well, we all thought land people were freaks and savages," Nixie said with a shrug as she sat down next to Evie. "But after a while, you're not so bad, well, except for the smell, most of the time."

"Thanks," Evie snorted. "I guess my shower this morning didn't help."

"I'm really sorry about your dad," Nixie said. "I don't think any of us wanted more land people involved for fear of exposure, this is turning into a mess."

"Trust me, I can deal with dad, he said he saw a UFO once, so I'm sure, after some explaining, he'll accept the existence of mermaids. He's all about saving the whales and sea life, so I think once he sorts this out, you guys will be safe." Evie looked over to where Rita stood, focusing the glowing blue ring on her equally glowing blue father. "How the hell did he get like that anyway, what the hell did that mermaid do him, and how?" Evie asked, her gaze zeroing in on Nixie.

"I, I think Rita should explain that," Nixie said nervously as she bit her lip and looked way, avoiding Evie's eyes she glanced over at Rita and Doug McClaren. "But Rita knows what she's doing, so I'm sure your father will be okay." Nixie looked up at Evie finally. "I've never met your dad, I've only met Zac's, and he's so different. Your dad is well, he's so-"

"Hot?" Evie interjected dryly, the sides of her mouth raised in a small grin as she saw Nixies face flush slightly, and the mermaid shift uncomfortably.

"I was going to say, young," Nixie sputtered, and then added, "Dr. Blakely is kind of old, and your father…isn't he kind of young to be your father?" She heaved a sigh sat back. "I'll just shut up now."

Evie laughed, "No, he's only 39, he was 22 and, in the Navy,, mum worked in a dentist office doing teeth x-rays when they met, she was 20. She always said he was the love child of Hugh Jackman and Mel Gibson you know, that's why they got married."

"Who are they?" Nixie asked curiously.

"You don't know who Hugh Jackman is?" Evie asked in shock. "He's Wolverine." Seeing Nixies blank look, she continued. "Obviously you've never watched movies with Zac, if it doesn't have fast cars, motorcycles and big explosions he won't watch it. Trust me; I was forced to sit through the last 'Fast & Furious' twice and 'Thor' at least three times."

"Oh," Nixie nodded. "I've never been to a movie, the moving pictures on TV give Lyla and I a headache." She looked over at Rita, and then asked quietly, "So does mother know you're here, do you think you should call her?"

Evie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and spoke softly, "No, my mum doesn't know we're here…well maybe she does, I don't know, she died about five year ago." Seeing Nixies eyes grow wide, Evie soothed, "It's okay, it's not like you'd have any idea she was gone."

"I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry like that," Nixie responded looking away, and then asked, "How? I mean…Oh waves that came out so wrong, I shouldn't even ask."

"Breast cancer," Evie replied with a small shrug and sigh. "Nixie, trust me I've come to grips with it, and thank God for Carly, I have no idea how she managed to get through it, but she was there for me the whole time. Trust me; I'm fine to talk about it."

"Carly?" Nixie asked, her expression filled with alarm and curiosity, "Did her mother die too?"

"No," Evie gave a small laugh. "Carly's mum is fine; her folk's split up during the same time my mum was going through chemo. That girl is a ROCK, she might not seem like it, everyone thinks she's clueless airhead, but I'm totally convinced Carly can handle anything."

"I didn't know, I'm sorry," Nixie whispered. Shoulders slumping, she asked softly, "What is 'breast cancer'?"

"Oh God, it's, um, it's a disease, that um, well, land women get, I guess," Evie said hesitantly. "It starts as a lump, in your breast, you know, and then sometimes, like with my mum it spreads," Evie's breath caught, and then she continued as she looked over at her father, her eyes welling up with tears, "And sometimes it spreads into people brains, and they forget who they are and who their family is…Sorry," She said and wiped her eyes with her good hand. "Oh God, here I'm telling you I could handle it."

"I shouldn't have asked, I'm really sorry," Nixie responded, looking down at the floor. "Mermaids never get anything like that, we never really get sick, and, and…I'm really sorry for asking."

"No, don't be sorry, you didn't know," Evie sighed. "I'm getting used to the fact that all of you are gorgeously beautiful, with magic superpowers, but at the same time kind of, well, really weird. And my ex-boyfriend has tendency to try and strip naked in front of me and grow a tail, and hell outside of '90210' and 'Glee', I bet I have the hottest school principal in the world. And she's a mermaid who's," Evie paused and looked over at Rita and her father. "She's wearing some glowing magic 'Lord of the Rings' ring and doing some kind of mermaid magic." Seeing Nixie once again looking at her with complete incomprehension, Evie sighed, "Oh God my life is never going to be normal again is it?"

"No, I, I don't think it ever will be," Nixie answered softly as she squeezed Evie's hands. "But hey, at least you have mermaids as a friends, not a lot of land people have that."

"Lyla," Zac hissed through gritted teeth, shaking hands dropping the harpoon with a splash. With a grimace, he placed a hand over the bleeding ragged gash in his side "Lyla, we need to leave, we need to leave before they come back."

"I know," Lyla cradled her bleeding finger in one hand, looking around. "I've never seen this much blood outside a shark attack on seal." Taking a breath, she muttered, "And Maya called you the monster."

"Lyla," Zac grimaced, his breath ragged. "I don't think I can do this alone."

"Oh tides," Lyla cried out, her eyes moving to there Zac was now holding two hands across the gash in his chest. "Zac, I'm sorry, I didn't know they did that to you." Moving closer she removed the merman's hands. "Oh shit," Lyla gasped at the sight of white bone, muscle and pale flesh. "You look like a propellor hit you."

"You sound like a land person, now," Zac managed to laugh, his face pale, eyes wide and bloodshot. "Shit this hurts."

"Zac," Lyla spoke softly, meeting his eyes with her own. "We have to leave, we have to get to Rita's, do you think you can do it. You have to stay with me, can you do that." She annunciated the last for words as she placed hands on the merman's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

Shaking his head, the Zac gulped, "I want to go home, we shouldn't be here anymore."

"I don't think so either," Lyla responded. "But you're hurt, so let me take you back Rita's, so you'll be safe alright? She can heal you."

He smiled weakly, his face a mask of pain, "Yeah, okay, I think I do it, and I'll need your help again," He grunted in pain as he pushed himself backward away from her and added with a small pain filled laugh. "It seems like every time we come to this cave anymore, I have to rely on you to rescue me and get me home."

"We shouldn't have come here, I don't know what we were thinking," Lyla answered as she placed an arm around Zac's shoulders. Glancing into the water of the Moonpool she whispered, "No." And motioned downward as a small torpedo shaped shadow cruised the bottom the pool nearly five meters below. "Zac if we don't leave soon, we're not going to make it."

"That didn't take long for one of them to show up," Zac grimaced in pain, his skin pale as he followed her eyes downward and pressed his hand more firmly against his bleeding side. His eyes swept over the Moonpool to settle on his backpack. "My pack," He whispered. "Lyla, I need my pack."

"Leave it, we can come back later with Nixie, Sirena and Rita," Lyla responded and tugged urgently on Zac's arm as she gazed downward eyes wary as the small meter long shark below them circled. "We have to leave before more come in, and that's a small one."

"No," Zac's voice rang with instance as he pushed himself away from Lyla and swam over to grab the small backpack from the ledge that surrounded the pool. "I have to get this back, I have to!" He gasped painfully as he tried to slip it on and failed. "Damn."

"Zac," Lyla exclaimed as propelled herself over to him to grab the small backpack before he dropped it. "Let me help you with that." She bit her lip as Zac held his arms painfully to the side and she slipped the nylon pack on. "Sorry," she murmured as she met his eyes. "This is my fault, I should have said no, I should have stopped, this all happened because of me."

"Stop it Lyla, it's not either of our faults," Zac gasped, wincing in pain he lowered his arms. "None of us had any idea this would happen, but we have to get back to warn everyone."

"By everyone, you mean Nixie," Lyla replied and then paused. "Oh shit another one," She exclaimed looking down.

Zac glanced downward through the murky water, a second smaller torpedo shape had joined the first, both of them circling around the bottom of the Moonpool, searching. "We have to leave Lyla, we can't stay any longer," He swallowed. "Do you think you can scare them away?"

"According to Nixie, I can scare anything away," Lyla answered, as she linked her arm in his. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Zac answered blowing air out a few times, one hand pressed to his side to staunch the blood flow. "I just hope we don't meet anything bigger than those two, or more of your old pod."

"So, do I," Lyla answered, her voice trembling with fear. "So do I, let's do this." Arm linking in Zac's she dove, the movement of their larger bodies causing the two sharks to scatter.

Zac paused long enough to scoop up the harpoon that lay at the bottom of the Moonpool and then arm and with Lyla the two headed toward the deep waters of the ocean and the safety of Rita's house, kilometers away.