Rowan couldn't struggle against the Thalassic Mortal when he was dragged into the cold ocean. The poison paralysed him quickly, and the pain was unlike anything he had ever felt. His veins throbbed like they were ready to burst. His muscles and joints seized and fell limp. Rowan's head was kept upright from the water as the Thalassic Mortal sank lower and lower.

The silence of the ocean was not calming. If it were daytime, Rowan might not have felt so petrified. He couldn't see anything. The moon was behind the clouds, and the water hurt his already stinging eyes. He could feel the tight grip on his arms from the creature who was killing him, but Rowan couldn't look him in the eyes as he did it.

Rowan had not thought much about death. He assumed he had the rest of his life to prepare for the end. Rowan realised how careless he had been to believe that he had all the time in the world to go after his dreams. As his lungs started burning, Rowan began to regret not living every day like it might have been his last. If he knew that an average Wednesday would take his life, he wouldn't have wasted so much time doing nothing. It was impossible to know when the end was close, but Rowan sure as hell wished that he acted like the end was always on his heels.

The pressure of the water started pushing against Rowan's skull. He wanted to take a sharp inhale, but his lungs would fill with water. He only had around twenty seconds until he had to let go of his breath before his lungs exploded.

The seconds were ticking away. Everyone else was continuing to live while Rowan was slowly dying. He thought in his final moments that he would think about his family and his life and the ones that mattered. All he could think about was how he should have had more time.

When Rowan was about to release his breath, the creature who held him clutched his arms hard, and the pain almost took over the agony in Rowan's lungs. Then suddenly, they moved back up and the pressure released on Rowan's head. He couldn't move, but he would feel it if he reached the surface. More than anything in the world, Rowan wanted air.

* * * * *

Wez was back at the shore in twenty minutes. Mandy had been silently crying the entire time. She stopped the poison fast and already started to move her toes and ankles. The smaller muscles started to move first. Soon, she would be able to haul herself into a sitting position.

"Get Michael!" she yelled, only just able to move her lips.

"Mandy, your son's gone-"

"No!" Mandy yelled and rolled onto her back. "Get Michael!"

Wez sighed and looked at Mandy's tear-stained face. He knew Rowan had drowned. Thalassic Mortals found joy in watching the life drain out of humans who tried to hunt them. If by chance Rowan had escaped, the poison would kill him.

"NOW! Mandy screamed, and Wez jumped off the boat and through the shallow water. He ran across the sand and up the sand dune towards the narrow path. Wez trudged through the mud and paused when he reached the road. He didn't want to be the one to tell Michael what had happened.

Slowly, he crossed the dirt road and approached the house. Wez knocked and rang the doorbell multiple times. He shouted Michael's name until he heard loud thuds of someone running to the door.

Michael yanked the door open, and Wez stepped back. "Michael, I'm so sorry," he said quickly. "We got ambushed. They knew we were coming to hunt."

Michael pieced his words together fast and lunged forwards. He gripped Wez's jacket and pushed his back to the wooden pillar. "Where is my son?" he asked. "Where's Mandy?"

"Mandy's in the boat, but your son- Michael, your son... I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do."

Michael gripped him harder. "Where, is, my, son?" he asked through gritted teeth. His heart was beating fast, and his stomach filled with dread.

"They took him. He was dragged under the water. It happened so fast-"

Michael shoved him hard against the beam and sprinted down the steps and across the road. He didn't even have shoes on as he trampled through the mud until he reached the sand. He could just about see the boat by the shore and threw himself down the sand dune.

Mandy was struggling to sit herself up when she heard someone sprinting through the water. Michael lunged himself on the boat. He was breathing hard when he gripped Mandy's face.

"Rowan," he breathed, "where is he?"

Mandy let out a quiet wail and tears fell down her cheeks. "He was dragged under. Wez just left him!"

It was apparent to Michael that the poison had paralysed Mandy, but his anger and worry and distress all pointed to her.

Without saying more or waiting for Wez, Michael turned the engine on and left the shore, startig a search for his son, refusing to believe that a Thalassic Mortal had taken his life.

* * * * *

When Rowan's head resurfaced, he gasped and sucked in the air as fast as possible. He wanted to flail his arms around and panic, but he couldn't move. Rowan's head fell forwards and landed on the shoulder of the Thalassic Mortal who had tried to drown him.

The creature was also gasping like he had held his breath with Rowan. The Sea Mortal shoved Rowan's head away, and it rolled back against the water.

The clouds parted, and the moon sparkled down from the sky. Rowan had never thought the moon was as beautiful as it was tonight. If it were to be the last thing he saw before he died, then he couldn't have asked for something more precious.

Rowan wasn't left to look at the moon for long. The Thalassic Mortal started moving through the water. The speed that they swam was unnatural. No human could swim as fast as the creatures of the sea. Their tails were powerful enough to dent boats.

Rowan was thankful that he wasn't dragged back under the water, though sometimes his head would fall under the surface and the creature would drag him up by his hair. Rowan felt like they were moving through the water for ages until they reached some rocks sitting in the open air.

The creature hauled Rowan onto the rocks. The sharp stone stuck into his back, but he couldn't move. His head rolled to the right, and he was left to stare into the ocean, and at the Thalassic Mortal who stared back. The air was cold, and the light wind hurt Rowan's wet skin, but he was thankful to still be breathing.

The Thalassic Mortal's mouth and nose were underwater, so Rowan could only see the top half of his head. His eyes were a strange light purple colour, surrounded with thick lashes. The skin around his eyes looked like it was coated with black eyeliner. The Sea Mortal had black hair, short on the sides and long on the top. The longer hair stuck to his forehead.

After a while of staring, the creature startled Rowan by pulling a webbed hand out of the water and covering Rowan's mouth and nose so that he couldn't breathe. The creature listened to Rowan's splutters in an attempt to find air. The Thalassic Mortal frowned and lifted his other hand to his own throat. He touched the gills on the side of his neck until the creature coughed as if he couldn't breathe either.

The Sea Creature let go of Rowan, and the human once again found himself gasping for air. The poison was still circulating his body, and it felt like it was burning him from the inside, yet his skin was sore from the cold.

The creature moved his hand and poked Rowan's cheek hard enough for it to turn his head. Rowan assumed he was looking at his veins that had turned black. If he didn't die from drowning, it was only a matter of time until the poison killed him.

The Thalassic Mortal then started moving back and forth in the water like he was distressed. Occasionally, he turned back to glare at Rowan before dipping underwater and splashing his tail angrily.

Rowan had no idea why he hadn't drowned, and he didn't know why the Sea Mortal seemed so restless. Rowan could only hope that someone would be out searching for him and get to him in time. Judging by the placement of the moon, Rowan knew it was around midnight. He doubted that he'd ever see the sunrise again.

"Ph-Phlease," Rowan breathed and the creature stopped suddenly, as if Rowan's voice alarmed him. Rowan couldn't move his lips. His insides felt like they were bruising badly. "I'll die soon i-iph I don't get helph." Not all Thalassic Mortals spoke the human tongue. They were in England, and Rowan didn't know if the Sea Creature was just visiting or if this was his home too. "Phlease," he said again, "I need to get to the sand."

The Thalassic Mortal moved closer and closer until he was right next to the rocks. Slowly, he lifted his webbed fingers and rested them on the seaweed. His purple gaze never left the human. His mouth was still under the water.

Rowan watched him because that was all he could do. He tried to plead with his eyes. He didn't know if the Thalassic Mortal understood him or if he was taunting him. Rowan didn't want to die. There was so much left for him to live for and so many new experiences to have, and so many new people to meet.

"Phlease," Rowan whispered. He wasn't going to give up, not until his last breath.

Suddenly, the Thalassic Mortal reached out and clutched Rowan by the neck. His fingers felt like they were made of ice. He dragged the human from the rocks and back into the water. The cold temperature of the ocean stole the air from Rowan's lungs. He tried to take a big gulp of air before the creature yanked him back under the surface and into the depths of the sea.