Capítulo 22: A Shadow In The Darkness

Rachael knew Icarus was watching her. She knew he was not going to take his eyes off her for the entire night. The only available option for her was to find a way to meet Felix. Rachael was skeptical at first. But she had no options. This was her only way of getting the information she needed since Icarus wasn't ready to tell her anything yet.

Rachael kept her head low as she weaved through the crowd. Most of the merfolk ignored her completely, only a few were brave enough to raise their heads and meet her eyes. She continued walking through the crowd until she found herself in the hallway. A few walks from here, she would finally meet Felix waiting for her.

The hallway was long and narrow, its wall lined with intricate tapestries that looked centuries old. The air was musty and damp, with a slight scent of salt that lingered in the air. Rachael walked slowly, her footsteps echoing through the hallway. She meandered through the dim corridors hoping to find Felix who she supposed had answers to her questions.

As she turned to a corner, she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. She stopped abruptly, her heart racing as she peered into the darkness. A figure was emerging from the shadows, moving towards her with slow, deliberate steps.

At first, she thought it was one of these nocturnal animals that moved at night, but as the figure drew closer, she realized her imaginations were wrong. It was a merman.

As the merman finally emerged from the shadows, his eyes were fixated on her with a murderous look. His skin was green and scaly, his hair long and tangled. He wore nothing but a loincloth, his muscular body glistening in the dim light. His eyes were cold and deadly, his mouth set in a cruel, feral grin.

Rachael's heart sank as she realized the danger she was in. She should have taken Icarus' warning seriously. And now, look at where her disobedience has landed her.

She tried to turn and run, but her legs felt heavy and unresponsive as if they were rooted to the spot. The merman was getting closer, his movement becoming more rapid and frenzied.

As he lunged forward, Rachael dodged to the side, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the merman's breath on her neck as he closed in on her, his claws glinting in the dim light.

She tried to fight back, lashing out with her fists and kicking out with her feet, but the merman was too fast, too strong. He dodged her blows easily, his movements fluid and graceful.

Rachael realized with a growing horror that she was no match for this creature. She was trapped, alone, and defenseless, with no way out.

She could feel the merman's hot breath on her face now, his eyes locked on hers as he prepared to strike. She braced herself for the worst, but at the last second, Rachael managed to duck under his outstretched claws and scramble past him.

She ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her chest, her feet pounding on the cold stone cold floor. Rachael could hear the merman's hiss behind her, his footsteps pounding on the floor as he gave chase.

Rachael darted around the corner, hoping to lose him, but he was too fast, too agile. He caught up to her in a matter of seconds, his claws slashing at her back.

The girl cried out in pain, stumbling forward and crashing into the wall. She could feel blood trickling down her back, hot and sticky, as the merman closed in on her. In the bid to catch her by her throat, Rachael used the opportunity to kick the merman at his feet, which made him fall to the floor. And then, when it seemed all hope was lost, she saw a door that was wide open on her left.

Lifting herself off the ground, she ran as fast as she could towards the door. She burst through the door and slammed it shut behind her. She was safe, for now. Rachael leaned against the door, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She looked down at her side, seeing the blood still flowing from the wound.

Many thoughts ran across her head as she tried to calm her racing heart. How was the merman aware that she was to meet Felix? Was it all planned by him or another person was behind all this?

Her head hurt at the possible explanations that flooded her mind. "This was not what she was supposed to do at the moment''. She thought. She needed to get to safety first or they would murder her under the frosty night. If only she paid heed to Icarus' warnings.

She knew she couldn't stay here for long. The merman was still out there, waiting for his chance to strike again.

Rachael took a deep breath and stood up, ready to face whatever lay ahead. She opened the door and stepped out into the darkness, determined to finish what she had started.

But as she slowly walked back into the hallway, she couldn't shake the feeling of fear that settled deep within her. She knew she was in danger, and that the merman could appear at any moment.

As she walked, she kept a careful eye on her surroundings, scanning every shadow and corner for any sign of danger.

Suddenly, she heard a noise, a faint rustling coming from behind her. She spun around, her eyes wide as she tried to see what was there. But there was nothing. The hallway was empty; the darkness stretched out before her like a void.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She knew she had to keep moving, to get out of this building before it was too late.

Rachael quickened her pace, her heart pounding in her chest as she approached the exit. She would not see Felix again. Not after she was mysteriously attacked by a merman. As she reached the door, she heard a noise again, this time louder and more menacing. She turned around, her eyes searching the darkness.

And that's when she saw him again.

The merman had reappeared, his eyes fixed on her with savage intensity. He had a weapon in his hand now, a sharp trident that glinted in the dim light. She knew she had to defend herself against the merman's attack.

The merman let out a malicious laugh as his white sharp teeth flickered under the light. "Do you think you can run away from me, human? Not after I'm done presenting your heart on a platter of gold to my master."

"And what is my offense? What have I done? Who sent you? What is the name of your master?" Rachael asked with curiosity while her senses were alert around her surroundings.

"What have you done? It seems you still don't understand what's going on or the amount of trouble you are already causing. As for my Master, you can ask him his name yourself when I present your heart to him," he hissed, taking slow steps toward Rachael before he forcefully charged toward her.

Rachael sidestepped the attack, dodging his trident as it sliced through the air. The merman was quick to recover, launching another attack with his trident. She ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade as it whistled past her ear.

But before she could regain her balance, the merman used the end of his trident and hit her back, sending her flying to the ground as she screamed in pain.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM HELL…" his voice rumbled in a husky tenor as he dragged himself towards her sprawled figure.

Rachael crawled slowly away from him with each step he took toward her. And when he was standing close to her, he bent down and trailed his icy hands against her warm cheeks.

"Exquisite…" he hummed, standing up and positioning his trident towards her heart region. Just as he was about to strike, Rachael let out a cold whisper. One filled with so much sorrow and hopelessness,

"ICARUS…" her lips quivered into the night as the name slipped out of her mouth. Her eyes brimmed with unmitigated pain as she slowly lost touch with reality.

Everything went dark.