Below the surface𖦹 ° Pt 4
The siren suddenly releases you.
The absence of pressure is so abrupt that for a moment you just lay there, stunned, your chest heaving painfully.
Then the creature slips back into the water.
You stare at the dark surface in disbelief.
Your entire body trembles violently as you scramble backward against the cave wall, putting as much distance between yourself and the water as possible.
The cave suddenly feels suffocatingly quiet without it there.
You force yourself to stand despite your shaking legs, immediately searching the rocky walls for some kind of escape route. Anything. A narrow opening. A climbable ledge.
The waterfall completely blocks the entrance.
Your stomach twists as you stare at it.
You can’t go back in there.
Not while that thing is somewhere beneath the surface.
You swallow hard before calling out desperately.
Your voice echoes uselessly through the cave.
Only the sound of crashing water returns.
Tears sting your eyes in frustration.
The siren emerges from the darkness again.
This time, something large hangs from its mouth.
Its silver scales glimmer faintly beneath the cave light as the creature approaches the rocky shore. Slowly, deliberately, it places the fish directly in front of you.
You blink at it in confusion.
The siren tilts its head slightly.
Your eyes drift from the fish… back to the creature.
And realization slowly dawns on you.
“I—” your voice shakes. “I don’t eat raw fish.”
The siren continues staring.
You shake your head quickly, pushing yourself farther against the wall. “Please just let me go.”
The creature clicks its tongue sharply.
The sound echoes through the cave.
Then it disappears beneath the water again so suddenly it barely disturbs the surface.
Your pulse pounds harder.
None of this makes sense.
A few tense moments pass before the water shifts again.
This time, there’s no bloodied fish between its teeth.
Instead, it carries some kind of fruit.
Dark-colored. Oval-shaped. Strange.
It approaches more cautiously now, remaining partially submerged while extending the fruit toward you.
Your breathing slows slightly as you stare at it.
Then slowly, carefully, you reach for the fruit.
The siren goes completely still.
You recognize it almost immediately.
One of the books you’d read mentioned it — a rare coastal fruit that grew near isolated cliffsides.
Your hand trembles as you bring it closer.
The creature’s pale eyes remain locked onto you the entire time.
You swallow nervously before finally taking a small bite.
The reaction is immediate.
The siren lets out a low sound deep in its throat.
The sound vibrates softly through the cave walls.
The realization sends a strange chill down your spine.
And after staring at you for a few moments longer—
The creature slips silently back beneath the water once again.
The words leave your mouth before you can stop them.
The siren disappears beneath the water anyway.
You immediately regret calling after it.
Silence settles over the cave again, broken only by the endless crashing of the waterfall nearby. Your grip tightens around the half-eaten fruit in your hands.
Maybe because the silence feels worse now.
Your stomach twists at the realization.
A few hours ago, the presence of that thing terrified you so badly you could barely breathe.
Now the cave somehow feels emptier without it there.
The thought horrifies you.
You stare uneasily at the dark water.
Slowly, you glance back down at the fruit in your hand. Teeth marks indent the flesh where you bit into it moments ago.
Not satisfied like a predator after feeding.
Like it had wanted your approval.
You hate how human that realization feels.
No, this thing killed your friends.
It dragged you into this cave.
You shouldn’t be feeling guilty because it left.
Yet despite the fear clawing through your chest, your eyes keep drifting back toward the water, half expecting those pale blue eyes to emerge again.
The cave suddenly feels much larger without them.
The siren emerges slowly from beneath the surface, water cascading from its shoulders as it approaches the shore of the cave.
Something hangs from one of its hands.
At first, you don’t recognize it.
You recognize the scratches along the handle instantly.
Cold horror floods your chest.
The siren carries something else too — a strange-looking camera, old and water-damaged, unlike anything you’ve seen before. It places both objects carefully onto the stone near you before lifting its gaze back to your face.
Watching for your reaction.
But all you can focus on is the flashlight.
Your friend had been holding that when—
Your throat tightens painfully.
A wave of grief crashes into you so suddenly it almost makes you sick.
Your hands curl into fists.
You look up at the creature, frustration finally overpowering your fear for a brief moment.
The siren tilts its head.
A soft click leaves its throat.
You glare harder. “I said take me home.”
Your breathing grows uneven again. “You killed them! Why am I even still—”
The siren suddenly lets out a sharp hiss.
The sound cuts through the cave violently.
Its lips pull back just enough for rows of sharp teeth to flash into view, pale and jagged beneath the dim cave light.
Its pupils widen unnaturally, pale eyes locking onto yours with sudden intensity. The atmosphere shifts so quickly your confidence evaporates on the spot.
The realization hits hard.
Your pulse pounds as the creature slowly moves closer again, water dripping from its claws onto the cave floor.
You instinctively shrink back against the wall.
The siren stares at you for a long moment.
Then its gaze flicks briefly toward the flashlight.
Another low click leaves its throat, quieter now, almost expectant.
Like it wants you to understand something.
And somehow that scares you even more.
“…I-I don’t know what you want me to do,” you say hesitantly.
The siren only stares at you.
Those pale eyes remain fixed on your face with unnerving intensity, unblinking and patient.
Reluctantly, you reach toward the flashlight.
The moment your fingers wrap around it, the siren tilts its head slightly, watching closely.
You swallow before attempting to switch it on.
For a brief second, the beam flickers to life.
Then it sputters violently.
The light dims almost immediately.
The siren lets out a low hum.
Before you can react, it suddenly snatches the flashlight from your hands and hurls it back into the water.
“…Okay,” you whisper shakily.
Its eyes move toward the camera next.
You hesitate before carefully picking it up.
Surprisingly, it still works.
Your stomach twists slightly as you realize where it probably came from.
Trying to distract yourself from the thought, you fumble with the buttons experimentally. The siren watches every movement intently from a short distance away.
You lift the camera instinctively.
A bright flash suddenly explodes through the cave.
The realization hits you a second too late.
You were pointing it directly at the siren.
The creature recoils instantly with a violent hiss.
The sound echoes through the cave walls as its pupils sharpen into thin slits. In a blur of movement, it lunges forward and slams you back against the stone floor.
Its claws pin your wrists down effortlessly.
“Okay— okay!” you panic immediately. “That was a mistake, I’m sorry— don’t kill me!”
Your head turns sharply to the side, eyes squeezed shut instinctively.
The siren hovers over you, breathing unevenly.
For a long moment, neither of you moves.
A low, irritated huff leaves the creature.
Slowly, you crack one eye open.
The siren stares down at you for another tense second before abruptly snatching the camera from your hands.
And throwing it into the water.
The cave falls silent again except for your shaky breathing.
The creature remains hovering over you for a moment longer, clearly displeased.
Then it clicks its tongue once.
Like you were the difficult one.
The siren suddenly narrows its eyes.
Before you can react, its hand grips your jaw and turns your face sharply to the side.
Its gaze fixes on something near your cheek.
You must’ve gotten it while struggling earlier.
The creature clicks its tongue quietly.
Cold panic shoots through you as you feel something wet drag slowly across the cut on your face.
The siren is licking the wound.
Instinctively, you shove against its chest in panic. “What the hell are you—”
The creature immediately lets out an irritated sound and pins you harder against the stone floor.
Your breath catches painfully.
Your entire body tenses as you squeeze your eyes shut—
But instead of teeth sinking into your skin, the siren simply continues dragging its tongue carefully over the cut.
Your eyes snap open slightly.
Sirens possessed unusually regenerative saliva due to the bacteria-heavy environments they inhabited. Ancient texts claimed their saliva contained natural healing properties capable of preventing infection and accelerating tissue repair.
At the time, you thought it sounded ridiculous.
Now the creature hovering over you is actively proving otherwise.
Your breathing turns uneven.
The siren pulls back slightly, studying your face again.
The stinging pain near your cheek has already started fading.
The siren finally releases you.
You immediately pull yourself upright, scrambling backward against the cave wall while trying to catch your breath.
The creature retreats a short distance away as well.
Then it shakes its head sharply.
A strange flapping sound follows the movement.
Your eyes widen slightly.
Or whatever those fin-like things near its head are—
flutter briefly before settling flat again.
You stare in stunned silence as the siren lowers its gaze toward its own arm. There’s a shallow cut along its skin from where you’d instinctively shoved against it earlier.
Without hesitation, the creature begins licking the wound.
“…Soooo…” your voice comes out weakly. “You do that for everyone you kidnap or am I special?”
The words leave your mouth before you can stop them.
Immediately, the siren glances toward you.
Those pale eyes narrow slightly.
But after a moment, it simply looks away again and continues tending to its wound like your comment wasn’t even worth acknowledging.
You stare at it in disbelief.
The cave falls quiet again except for the sound of water crashing nearby and the occasional low clicking sound leaving the creature’s throat while it cleans the injury.
Your pulse slowly steadies.
And somehow that feels worse.
Because this situation is starting to feel dangerously normal.
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
