Those Beneath The Sea
by Scab Scum

Hal Rieker dreaded the day when he'd have to commit "the exchange", the one which would save his very life. The dream people, the ones who lived in the sea, told Hal of the signs. Every night, they would tell him during his sleep, and now those signs were all around him.

One sign was the loss of guidance, the realization that Hal would have to do everything on his own, and had no way of finding the dream people. Despite the large amount of liquor, and sleeping pills consumed, Hal could not sleep that night. Without sleep, he could not dream. Without dreams, he couldn't see the dream people.

One sign was the loss of the summer solstice, the day the summer heat went to sleep. On that July day, the temperature had kicked up to a blistering 102 degrees, but once the sun had set, it dropped down to a wintery 38. The wind picked up ferociously, grabbing anything it could lift, and hurled it through the air.

One sign was the loss of his partner, the mother of his child. In a time of confusion, the female instinct would lie dormant, until the confusion had ended. In fear of the signs, while tossing and turning in bed, Hal tried to wake his wife. She slept soundly, no matter how hard he shoved.

Realizing what had to be done, Hal staggered out the backdoor of his beach house, down the sandy shore, towards the roaring sea, with his half of "the exchange" in his arms. Despite his struggle, tears rolled down his face, tears of sorrow, tears of fear. If all was true, if this task were necessary, then Hal would meet these dream people face-to-face tonight. These bizarre beings which hid in the shadows, never revealing their faces, would now be rising from the sea, and taking their claim from Hal's very hands. Although he was deathly afraid, Hal knew he was in no danger of being harmed. Not as long as he delivered his share.

Moments later, the terrified, freezing man stood on the edge of the beach, facing the sea. Black waves of fury crashed all about, the rampaging tides coming within mere inches of Hal's bare feet. Oh, how he wished he were still dreaming, the thought of these supernatural beings coming out of the sea was enough to make Hal want to run screaming. But he stayed and waited. He knew it'd be the best thing to do if he wanted to live.

The barbaric sounds of the waters put Hal's mind into a slight trance, forcing him to remember why he was there. The dream people told him how they invaded Hal's house on several occasions, leaving little clues such as seaweed, and sloppy wet footprints to confirm their existence. They told Hal how he had no choice, how they had chosen him, and what would happen if he didn't make "the exchange".

For a while, Hal stood on the beach, the icy winds rocking him back and forth. He began to think that they weren't going to show, that maybe the signs had been sheer coincidence. But then Hal looked past the rushing waters, into the sky, and there he saw the final sign. The loss of the evening light, the night that the moon and the stars would go to sleep. A couple hundred yards out to sea everything was pitch black. Waves came crashing through the darkness, but it looked like there was nothing more behind it.

Then they arose. A gigantic wave built up, and came rushing down just before Hal. As it came down, the waters settled, and the wind died. It came down, and revealed three dark figures standing on the water.

"She is ours now, she belongs to us." said one of the three in a haunting tone, "Give her to us."

Hal looked down at the bundle in his arms, his half of "the exchange".

Even though she wasn't his, Hal still felt like the child was his daughter. He wanted to get rid of her when he saw the baby's oversized head, and retarded face cradled in his wife's arms at the hospital, but he put his shame aside, and agreed to raise the girl because he thought she was his own flesh and blood. That's when he met the dream people.

When Hal extended his arms, the center figure slowly glided forward across the water. As it drew closer, Hal was able to make out it's shape. The figure was wearing a robe, and although it had a hood on, Hal could tell that it's head was abnormally large, just like his daughter's. Shortly, the cloaked figure was directly in front of him, it's face still hidden by a shadow. Slowly, it's arms protruded from the robe, and took hold of the child. Hal released his grip, feeling a cold chill run under his skin as the girl left his hands. As the figure floated backwards, towards the other two, Hal looked down at 'his' daughter, wishing that somehow they'd give her back, but then he noticed the hands holding her. They were not made of the same pinkish flesh that coated his body, but of dark, purplish scales, with small greenish circles, resembling suction cups, along the fingers.

Within seconds, they were gone, back beneath the sea, and Hal headed back to his beach house. He hated making "the exchange", but was glad it was over with. After seeing the beings fingers, he realized there was no telling what
those creatures could of done to him, and his wife. Not to mention, if 'his' daughter was made up of their blood, she might look like that one day. He was better off this way, and now he and his wife were safe.

Hal approached his house, extremely tired, and ready for bed. He opened the front door, which he failed to notice was unlocked, and nearly fainted when he saw the blue carpet in his living room .... COVERED WITH SLOPPY WET
FOOTPRINTS!

The End?

© Scab Scum

Scab Scum's past is as of yet unknown. For more of his work, visit www.darkhalf.com and  www.darkzine.net