“Grace, stop shooting at her!”
“She’s a monster! She shouldn’t be here!”
I bolt, running blindly, trying to rely on my senses, but not understanding this world at all.
Not for the first time, I wonder if coming here was a mistake.
***
I clutch the metal so hard it bites into my skin. The cold has pushed past pain into a comfortable numbness. I don’t know where I am or how to get back, all I know is I’m high, very high.
“Come down with your hands up!”
I twist back towards the voice. The icy wind is whipping past me, but I’ve been curled up around this structure long enough to get a little bit of sleep and recover, though my stomach grinds on itself painfully.
“Come to my voice.”
I heard jumbled words. Jumper. Suicide. Freak.
I’m not sure what they mean, but the voice sounds friendlier, so I unfurl my body and turn towards them.
“Holy fuck, it’s one of them monsters! What the fuck do we do, Sean?”
“How the fuck should I know?”
“Stop where you are.” The first voice commands.
I keep walking, unsure of what they want. I can’t stop here; the wind will blow me straight off into the void below.
“Fuck! She’s still coming.”
“Tase her.”
“Last warning: stop moving.”
I crouch when four sharp spikes bite into my collarbone. A moment later, I tilt my head back and scream, unable to fight the electric currents that run through my body. I lurch sideways, my limbs rigid and shaking.
I fall.
I fall for a long time.
And like so long ago, I’m back in the terrifying brine of the oceans.
Hearing their song.
Again.
***
I race after the small thing that squeaks and tries to escape me. I crash into something metal that tips over, making a horrible noise. The smell of rubbish and rot covers me, and I gag, losing the will to keep chasing my dinner.
“Stop that!”
A stick comes down across my back. I stumble back, hissing.
“You get back, you!” the woman shouts. “Leave my dog alone.”
Dog? What is a dog?
