Chapter Twenty-eight: I Still See You
Frantic and bewildered, the young woman moved as fast as her small legs could take her. The unexplainable creature moved impressively well for its substantial size, and she could barely keep up with it. Nevertheless, Joy knew for as long as she could follow the broken bark and branches of trees, her minuscule shadow would be able to stay on its finned tail.
Although quite afraid and having no idea what this animal was nor what she could do about it, Joy was more fearful for her dearest friend. Because one thing was unambiguously certain...
Moreau was somehow trapped inside of it!
In the distance, she detected the familiar, despaired wails underneath the rattling breath of the bellowing beast. The cries were relentless for his Mother Miranda, which were a mixture of accusations and beseeches amidst the roars and bubbling growls.
In spite of her youth, Joy's lungs needed a break. Slumped over her knees, she stopped momentarily to regain some strength. But her reddened ears caught the sounds of loud splashing.
"Mo!"
Straightening her torso, the woman took to her heels again. She passed more freshly made bramble until she reached an area that was sparse of trees and was now, before a widespread lake. It appeared to have the circumference of one of the football stadiums that Joy had seen on television. Under normal circumstances, she would have admired the picturesque beauty of the slow rippling water, glimmering from the rare, peering sun.
But what was currently happening was far from normal.
All around the natural reservoir, Joy noticed the dried-up foliage and grass-less ground under the depleting snow. Running to the lake's border, she cupped her hands to her mouth.
"MOooo! MOoooo! MOoooo..!"
The drawled pleas were shouted over and over, to the point that Joy irritated her larynx by inhaling too much air and caused her to hack for a minute straight. After clearing her throat, Joy took another mouthful of oxygen...
However, a gasp escaped her parted lips when a humongous glob of large eyes breached the water.
The woman marveled with fearful wonder as the acquainted, long tendrils wriggled from atop and between the irritated-looking corneas.
The creature's upper mouth arose. "Go... away!"
Joy slowly inched upwards. Hearing the slurry, throaty, yet much heavier voice of her friend had returned some courage.
"Mo! I wanna help ya get outta dare before ya drown!"
"You can't. Please... leave me... alone."
Joy frowned. There was reluctance and force within those words.
"Ya need ta get outta him! Maybe... Maybe kick your legs! Tickle his throat and he'll spit'cha out!"
The creature emitted a gargled moan.
"It won't work. ...Please go..."
And it began to sink under the lake once more.
"Uh-uh!" Joy shouted with a stoic shake of the head. "Please lemme help!" She hummed loudly. "Oh! I'll jump in da water and maybe da big fish thingy will spit ya out ta try ta get me instead! But he won't get me 'cause I can swim super-fast!"
The young woman's sneakers shuffled nearer to the brim of the lake...
"NO!"
"Eeep!"
Startled, Joy stumbled onto her small backside, and was now, staring up at the gargling, aquatic beast that had abruptly lurched out of the water only a few yards away. It swerved its broad and bumpy body. And with a harsh hiss, it fronted her head-on with goggling, countless dull blue irises that made up its head and upper arched torso.
The grayish, finned abomination was something that Joy had never seen or had ever read about. It was an amalgamation of frogs, salamanders, and fish. But the closest guess was a tadpole that had the massive girth of a humpback whale. The crooked creature wriggled four, bottom jaws, as well as six useless limbs while a pair of larger, five webbed claws hooked into the earth like an anchor of some nightmarish, fleshy boat.
However, surrounded by the jagged, uncanny molars and canines, was a strange facet that quickly pulled at Joy's full attention... A small, whitish man, imprisoned in the center of the huge maw as the creature's tongue. And the lanky, lumpy, torso appeared underweight as if the creature had leeched him dry.
The scared woman could see the man's gloomy gaze and the familiar inked art on his colorless, left arm.
"Mo I... I see you! You are stuck in da big pollywog! Lemme help pull ya out!"
Joy began to get to her feet, but only to plant her bottom on the earth again when the creature smacked and dragged its dark claws into the ground. Long and hard. The swarm of pupils glowered down at her.
"Listen to me! I'm not stuck. ...I... I am this monster!"
Bright green orbs glistened with realization as they flicked to the brown cufflink on one of the tiny, left aquatic limbs. Moreau was right. He had become this creature. His mouth didn't move, yet he spoke so vociferously. As far as Joy could tell, there weren't any legs that she could define on her friend.
"Please, Joyce... stay, stay out of the water! I... don't want to kil- hurt you!"
Widely, Moreau swished around, his tail swirling as he readied to involuntarily clamber into the watery realm.
Sucking in a shaky breath, Joy stood upright, small chin up with fists beside her little hips.
"I know Mo won't hurt me."
The mutant paused, emitting a sad warble, his whishing single-finned appendage drooped to the snowy dirt.
"But, but I don't know if... I know," he confessed lowly without focusing on his former friend. "And I'm not Mo... anymore."
The young woman looked on, so confused. Moreau made several grunts and growls as he struggled with something that seemingly was not there. Then, swaying his enormous head, he returned to the lake with a resounding splash.
Still nervous yet undeterred, Joy strode to the ridge and bent over; her squinting eyes trying to detect any movement in the undulating water. After a few minutes, she spotted Moreau on the other side, ascending to land again.
Joy waved to him. "Mo! Don't worry! Joy's still here! ...Mo!"
The mutant didn't respond and craned his bulbous head straight up. Suddenly, Joy's sights grew when Moreau's entire body started to swell. Akin to a bullfrog but much more immense. The woman's heart pounded while he continued to expand.
Why's Mo doing this? Is he gonna explode?!
Joy was ready to call out to him once more, however, Moreau opened his big maw and vast quantities of vomit burbled out like an ungodly version of a fountain statue. But unlike other regurgitations, this green puke burned anything it came in contact with. Snow and any remnants of regrown grass quickly sizzled out. And in its place, were growing globs of enzyme.
Joy sniffed, placing a left palm on her chest. It was true what he'd said to her.
Mo doesn't wanna hurt me...
Once the acid rain had stopped falling and his body deflated, Moreau quietened his gargling and ungracefully dived into the water. Breathless, Joy traveled along the never-ending perimeter of the great lake. She became excited whenever she caught a glimpse of the aquatic mutant breaching. But to her dismay, when the puffing woman felt she was finally getting to a closer range, she would see the large shape swim in the opposite direction... crying.
Always crying.
"Mo!"
Joy halted her pursuit of the narrow dorsal fin breaking through the lake's surface so she wouldn't pass out. Sniffling and huffing, she wiped her eyes.
"You're... NOT a monster! Please... stop... run... swimming away from me!"
With strained, babbling whines, Moreau swam deeper, devouring some fleeing fish. His bemoaning reverberated within his aquatic territory.
Ohhh-oh! Why don't you love me, Mother?! Why do you make me hurt so much?!
Groaning, he staggered to the surface. Moreau hated retching, but he couldn't let his acid and bile levels become dangerously high. He didn't spew in the water. He needed the lake uncontaminated for a fresh food supply. Often, Moreau regurgitated the innards of some of the animals he consumed, thus, he was required to eat high amounts to compensate for his bumpy bulk.
Eat. Puke. Repeat. It was always a horrible cycle. Everything hurt! Despite being underwater, the mutant's esophagus, stomach, and both craniums were ablaze. And now, he felt lost in this form. Exactly how his nightmares had transpired.
Had they been forewarnings? He fretted that the snappy blonde man would soon emerge from hiding with a horde of assault weapons. However, this was much, much worse than those vivid, horrid dreams.
Because today, Moreau lost more than his poor excuse of his partial humanity.
He lost his happiness.
When the vile, acidic, and bile shower drizzled into vapor, Moreau emitted a hoarse gasp. Not just to inhale much-needed air, but from finding his former friend halfway closer already; skirting multiple mounds of the enzyme. This body of water was unending! Yet, notwithstanding her shortness, Joy was trying to race as fast as a lycan's steed in a full-on gallop.
Moreau couldn't fathom her conation. Why on this flat earth was she still trying to help?! Did she wish to be swallowed whole by a grotesque, giant fish?! He couldn't block her with a barrier, in fear his capacious mutation might overdo it. Suffocating his former friend with green ooze was not a risk he was willing to attempt.
The audible range was weak, but what the mutant could make out was the persistent, panting woman begging for him to stay put. Her little arms were outstretched and that pained Moreau even more than his sore, churning stomach.
"Oh, why!" he wailed, submerging himself again.
When Joy thought she was close enough to see her friend, she sat down on the lake's edge and proceeded to remove her sneakers and socks. Joy dipped her little toes in the cool water, and within only a minute, she saw Moreau approaching. She backed up to give him some space, and his expansive torso and sharp talons met dry land, once more.
"Joyce! Please stay out of my way!"
"But Mo, if ya wanted me ta stay away, why'dja swim up ta me when ya saw my feet?" asked the young woman with a tired smile.
The frustrated mutant swiveled his head from side to side.
"Ughhh... because I was trying to EAT you!"
Joy's mien fell upon hearing that answer. Her worried sights regarded the pale, lumpy man within the widespread maw. His bony hands were clamped to a bald scalp.
"In the water... I, I, I can't control what I eat!" the creature breathed out around the silently crying man.
"Den stay with Joy."
All the unblinking eyes darted to the inviting, open hand. Moreau whimpered in edgy contemplation, but when the protruding, sickly yellow tendrils began to whirl faster, he let out a raucous roar, instigating Joy to gasp, recoiling her arm.
"I... I, I can't! It won't let me!"
"It?" peeped Joy, arching her red eyebrows. "What... What won't let ya?"
"Mama's gift!"
Quite bemused, the woman's brows went even higher. But when her fraught, sobbing friend began grappling the dirt out of sad vexation, she shook her head curtly.
"Mo! Don't listen ta it!"
The mutant halted his warbling and twinging and refocused on the small being before him.
"Listen ta me!" Kneeling, she held out her small limbs. "Please... Mo! Joy's right here..."
Moreau's wallowing went quiet. If his uncalculatable eyes had lids, they would all be blinking in absolute disbelief. Why was she so steadfast in aiding an unstable, insatiable beast? Moreau observed the hopeful, beautiful, round face that not once had grimaced by his overly grown grotesqueness.
Maybe she was still his best friend... His precious person...
However, that flicker of positive discernment was deluged by another fierce hunger pang. Moreau gurgled louder than his voracious inner cavity. And seeing Joy again with welcoming open arms was paralleled with being impacted by a round of ammo, straight to the gut.
Feeling hot and perturbed, the many, dull blue sights of the mutant flashed to dark red.
"Joy- Joyce, I-wan- CAN'T hug you!"
Joy's chin quivered. "But... But Mo..."
"JUST GOOOOO!" bellowed the beast, pointing a large claw overhead.
The young woman sadly viewed Moreau swerve, and with an exasperated swat to the earth with his tailfin, he dunked back into the lake for more underwater life to consume.
Alone, the inner corners' of Joy's eyebrows arched; her eyes welling up.
He sounded really angry with me... But he sounded really sad, too...
After a couple of quiet minutes, she gathered her socks and sneakers, and halfheartedly, retraced her steps. The snuffling woman opened her coat pocket for her phone so she could try calling her mother. Joy pondered if her Mama Bear would be able to heal her best friend. But she concluded that neither the dedicated nurse nor the entire hospital staff would know what to do. And even if they wanted to attempt any recovery, Moreau would have to be amiable for their assistance.
Inhaling heavily, Joy stopped forcing her bare feet from moving and zippered her pocket. Wiping flushed and teary cheeks with her sleeves, she blinked at the revealed bead-trimmed sailor trinket.
"My... b-birthday bracelet, "reminded her quavering voice.
The woman traced a left digit on the small and dangling, silver fishbone charm. Then, her breath caught in her throat with newfound resolution.
"Mo's bestie WILL help!"
Joy resumed walking away, however, it was motioned with more effort and gusto.
She needed to move. She needed to steel her courage.
After ten more paces, Joy laid her footwear down, secured the cabin's key into a coat pocket after a kiss, and then, fronted the lake; removing and dropping her winter outerwear.
Following the release of a sharp, detained respire, the petite woman sprinted forth, and within moments, her body was engulfed by the lake.
Joy allowed herself to slowly descend into the depths of the natural reservoir while trying to peer through the dim ambiance. She spotted a few terrified tadpoles and fish passing her by without notice. Then, a growling roar, carried through the water, reached her muffled ears. And following suit, a grand, dark shape swam forward. The fearful woman's eyes expanded as bubbles rose from her nostrils. However, when the ravenous beast flared its jaws apart, her expression calmed as her sealed lips upturned with hope.
Joy still sees Mo.
And with outspread arms, her sounds and surroundings were cut by silence and darkness.
The ginormous, gurgling mutant thrashed on the patchy dirt as if he was battling a murder of crows aiming for his eyes. He death-rolled again and again. Over and over; his tail whipping in a maddened frenzy.
However, gradually, the creature stilled. Righting himself and with a wheezing gasp, his jaws peeled apart, exposing the air to be felt by his smaller self...
And the petite being around him.
Coughing, the consoling young woman was embracing the silent, sniveling man's bumpy, upper torso, while echoic cries of relief surrounded them both.
"It's al-alright, Mo! It's... It's alright!"
"Ohhh, JOY! My, my, my pr-precious person! Don't-Don't let go! Don't ev-ever let Mo go!"
"Joy won't! Joy won't! Never ever, ever!"
She pressed her cheek atop the man's malformed head, triggering his reedy arms to latch on tighter. And being cradled, for the first time in this metamorphosed form, Moreau smiled.
"Thank you, Joy! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"
His relieved, snuffling friend rubbed his benign back.
"Mo... is most welcome! And... And Mo's precious ta Joy... t-too!"
With booming, broken breaths, Moreau wept into the soaked, ocean-blue sweater. All the while, the countless, reddened eyes lightened in shade. And the great body and long tail of the placated beast of the lake was curved along the reunified, best friends.